94pts James Suckling

Complex aromas of nuts and pears. Full-bodied and rich with a tight, beautifully reserved center palate. Ginger, lemon curd and pear notes too. Drink or hold.

94pts Decanter

The Estate Chardonnay from Chalone is exceptional, aged 9 months in 33% new French oak. The nose greets you with sea spray aromatics, kumquat notes, a squeeze of grapefruit zest, and a compelling salty mineral character. The palate is pure, lean, and focused, with good fruit weight balanced by incredible tension and a brininess. The finish is layered with a medley of savoury spices—an element that has been notably missing from this wine in previous vintages. Racy and exotic, it offers remarkable freshness and intensity. This wine represents a significant turning point, heralding a new era of exceptional wines from this iconic estate—a real tour de force. 

92pts Wine Enthusiast

2022 Estate Grown Chardonnay (Chalone). Precise aromas of lemon and lime meet with undertones of butter and oak on the nose of this wine. The palate is slightly fatter in expression at first, with more butter and macadamia nut, but then recedes toward zesty grapefruit peel flavors.

Winemaker Notes

The 2022 Estate Chardonnay opens with notes of banana, vanilla, lemongrass, honey, Meyer lemon, and plenty of wet slate and river rock minerality. Flavors on the palate mirror the nose, adding stone fruits and toasty oak characters to round out this medium-bodied delightful Chardonnay.

Pair with spring garden salad with edible flowers and Meyer lemon-herb Citronette.

Blend: 100% Chardonnay

Vineyard Notes

Our Estate Chardonnay is sourced from some of our oldest vineyard sites, including grapes planted in 1972 and an outstanding 1985 planting that was grafted using budwood taken from vines planted in 1946. The age of our vines gives our Chardonnay wines their intense flavors, superior quality, and excellent aging potential. The 2022 Estate Chardonnay hails from the Reservoir, Vista, MacWood, and Strip vineyard sites of Chalone Vineyard. The final wine blend includes a variety of Chardonnay clones: 76, 95, Mt. Eden, and Chalone.