2014 WindRacer Chardonnay Russian River Valley 750 ml

Chardonnay from Chalk Hill and Verité Alums

Fans of the rich, opulent Chardonnay that has made Russian River Valley California’s epicenter for Burgundy varieties should clear some space for the Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate 93+ point 2014 WindRacer Russian River Valley Chardonnay. WindRacer is a partnership between two of the most impressive names in California wine: Peggy Furth, the original proprietor behind Sonoma County’s benchmark Chalk Hill Chardonnay, and Barbara Banke, the proprietor of Jackson Family Wines who manages, among others, the 100-point Cardinale and Verité brands. These women’s six combined decades of experience building some of California’s greatest wines guides their WindRacer Russian River Chardonnay, which the Advocate called “gorgeously creamy textured.” At $29.99 per bottle, WindRacer outperforms wines at twice the price.

This WindRacer hails from the famous Kelli Ann vineyard off Eastside Road, where vines planted in 1989 in well-drained Yolo loam soil with Cortina gravelly, sandy loam yield lushness, weight, and texture only possible from older Chardonnay vines.

One of the masterminds behind this tremendous effort is Peggy Furth. The accomplished career woman was a department head at Kellogg’s before turning her focus to the famed Chalk Hill Winery, which she and her husband — with the help of winemaker David Ramey — turned into one of California’s standard-bearing Chardonnays. By the time the Furths decided to sell Chalk Hill winery, Peggy was CEO.

The other, her partner, Barbara Banke, is a member of one of the First Families of Sonoma County wine. As proprietor of Jackson Family Wines, she manages an impossible-to-list number of first-class California brands. Together, there is little that the two women have not accomplished, and WindRacer is where they come together: over their love for Burgundy varieties from Sonoma County’s top AVAs.

Like much of California, Russian River Valley enjoyed an extraordinary harvest in 2014. The third consecutive drought year brought a healthy fruit set, and the top vineyards in the area reported beautiful natural concentration.

WindRacer’s Chardonnay, made from hand-harvested fruit, is French oak barrel-fermented and aged on the lees for 12-16 months. Frequent stirring enhances the natural richness of the Chardonnay, and yields the kind of decadent Chardonnay by which Russian River has won legions of devoted drinkers. The glowing 93+ score bestowed on the 2014 WindRacer by The Wine Advocate puts it in the company of some of California’s finest — and highest priced — Chardonnays. For those who love what Russian River does best, this is a slam-dunk.

Jonathan Cristaldi

Editor-in-Chief, Wine Access