Walt Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2019

Walt continues to be a leader in fashioning several of Sonoma County’s most compelling Chardonnays as Walt’s recently released 2019 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay (90 Points – Wine Spectator) will aptly attest. Radiant with the luminous light of the afternoon sun along the majestic California coast, the 2019 Walt Sonoma Coast Chardonnay offers an enchanting bouquet of golden apples, ripe pears, white flowers, and exotic spices. The wine’s palate appeal is every bit as attractive: buttery apple and lemon curd flavors sprinkled with hints of nutmeg and cloves and burnished with a light patina of toasted oak grace the mouth. Big, suave, and beautifully balanced, Walt’s 2019 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay is both a palate-pleaser and a tribute to the beauty and viticultural paradise that is California’s Sonoma Coast. For optimal enjoyment of Walt’s award winning 2019 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay, we suggest only moderate chilling (40°-45° F) before allowing it several minutes in the glass to fully render its many charms and focused, nuanced flavors. Anticipated maturity: 2022-2026. Enjoy!

Like its predecessors, Walt’s 2019 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay needs little to shine, which comes as no surprise to us or those familiar with Walt. Consummate Chardonnay lovers won’t be able to get enough of this wine, with and without food. But again, why settle for half the pleasure when you can have it all? Walt’s 2019 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay pairs beautifully with seafood, salads, poultry, cheeses, and rich, creamy dishes. Classics such as Charleston Shrimp and Grits and Cedar Plank Salmon provide ideal companions. Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes and Pan Seared Scallops over a seasonal risotto with beurre blanc also earn two thumbs up. A well-made Cobb Salad or heart-healthy Pear Salad with baby spinach, Anjou pears, candied walnuts and mild bleu cheese offers another splendid accompaniment to Walt’s enticing and food-friendly 2019 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay. A thick Butternut Squash soup makes a tasty pairing, too, as does roast turkey and dressing with all of the trimmings. And, for the minimalists among us for whom less is better if not more, consider serving several of the world’s finest cheeses such as a buttery Camembert, Brie, Cheddar, Mt. Tam or Saint André. For a little more variety, add slices of mountain apples and ripe Anjou pears. Bon appétit!

Walt is an outstanding boutique producer of handcrafted Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs from a growing number of California’s premier vineyards in Anderson Valley, the Sonoma Coast, the Santa Rita Hills, and Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Walt limits the variables by specializing in just two varietals, which they fashion in small batches. This month’s feature, Walt’s 2019 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay, emanates from California’s most iconic Chardonnay vineyards, including Bob’s Ranch and Sonoma’s legendary Sangiacamo Vineyard.

Walt is owned by Kathryn Walt Hall and Craig Hall. Kathryn Walt Hall has been involved in the wine industry since her family first purchased a vineyard in the 1970s. She and her brother managed the family vineyard from 1982-1992. Kathryn has also enjoyed a distinguished career as a businesswoman, attorney and community activist. She also served as the United States Ambassador to Austria from 1997-2001.

Winemakers Alison Frichtl Hollister and Megan Gunderson work magic with Walt’s small handcrafted wines. They practice non-interventionist winemaking, which naturally allows each vineyard site to express its individual character. Taste and see why critics continue to be wowed by Walt’s wines and why Walt’s Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs consistently receive 90+ point ratings from the world’s leading wine critics.

Chardonnay is the most widely cultivated white varietal on the planet. Twice each year at harvest time in its native France and countless locales on six continents north and south of the equator Chardonnay grapes command premium prices. In tribute, Chardonnay produces the finest, most flavorful dry white wines in the world to which writers and connoisseurs devote countless columns and untold hours exalting its virtues and dissecting its flavors. Whether it be from Chablis or Champagne, Napa or Sonoma, or from the most illustrious of vineyards perched atop the slopes of Corton and Montrachet, Chardonnay is the yardstick by which all other dry white wines have come to be measured.

With food, Chardonnay is a peerless match. Chablis and other Chardonnays that see little or no oak provide superb complements to seafood. Fuller, fleshier, and more heavily oaked renditions of Chardonnay, typified by the best Californian versions, can more than hold their own with more complex fare, such as rich cream sauces, poultry and white meats. Moreover, the finest Chardonnays, such as Walt’s 2019 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay, shine on their own, and they require nothing but a clean glass and a reflective moment to be pleasing to the palate.