2012 Foxglove Chardonnay Central Coast 750 ml

2012 Foxglove Chardonnay: Jim Varner and the Gang of Six

When identifying California’s top Chardonnay producers, from a stylistic and structural perspective, it’s best to evaluate them in keeping with the vagaries of the AVAs from which their wines are drawn.

In Sonoma County’s Knights Valley, Peter Michael Winery is at the top of our list, turning out big, broad, lemon curd Chardonnays, drawn largely from the Old Wente clone, planted on poor Goldridge soils. On the cool Sonoma Coast, former Peter Michael winemaker Vanessa Wong crafts crisp, mineral, and complex Chardonnays that give great white Burgundies a run for their money.

In Russian River, the nod goes to Steve Kistler — with David Ramey and Luc Morlet close behind. Kistler Chardonnays tend to be a bit backwards on release, slowly peeling away fine saline layers before coming into their own three or four years after bottling. Ramey’s Chardonnays are more classically built. While equally high-toned and vibrant, David’s single-vineyard wines off Platt and Hyde vineyards marry richness and tension, drinking beautifully out of the gate even as they age gracefully for a decade.

In Santa Cruz and on the Central Coast, two Chardonnay-makers stand head and shoulders above the rest — Brian Talley and Jim Varner. Rich, fleshy, and pristine, Talley’s Rincon and Rosemary’s Chardonnays are consistent knockouts, and have garnered ten 95- to 99-point reviews from Robert Parker, Jr.

Within this Gang of Six, Varner’s Chardonnays are the raciest, combining dense New World opulence and succulent apple-honey concentration with firm coastal backbone. No stranger to Robert Parker’s scoreboard, Jim has earned a whopping nineteen 95+ reviews from The Wine Advocate.

Of course, if you’re a Chardonnay bargain-hunter, the Gang of Six has largely been off-limits.

That is, until today.

In the spectacular 2012 growing season on the Central Coast, one in which barely a drop of rain fell between June and the end of August, daytime highs hung in the low 80s, while nighttime lows dipped into the 50s. Jim Varner took full advantage.

Drawing fruit from a handful of his most reliable vineyard sources, Varner crafted a 2012 Foxglove Chardonnay that’s comfortably “worth” twice today’s asking price. If you don’t believe us, just ask Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate!

The Wine Advocate described “classy white peach, apple blossom and subtle spice in its medium-bodied, juicy and delicious style,” before adding that the most mind-boggling $15 American Chardonnay of the last few years “should be purchased by the case… This is another solid lineup of superb values by the team at Varner.”

Varner Chardonnay for $15/bottle on WineAccess? You bet. 1,800 bottles are up for grabs.