2016 Carte Blanche Chardonnay UV Vineyard Sonoma Coast 750 ml

A spare-no-expense Chardonnay with a Grand Cru pedigree, Carte Blanche comes from the family that owns First Growth Château Haut-Brion, and is helmed by Food & Wine magazine Winemaker of the Year Helen Keplinger.

Keplinger, who has two perfect 100-point wines on her résumé, puts that priceless pedigree on full display in the 2016 UV Chardonnay: It earned a 96-point score from Jeb Dunnuck, who was reminded of a “slightly Burgundian style Chardonnay from Mark Aubert”—referring to the California Chardonnay deity whose wines regularly rate 98-100 points. Showing layered aromas of golden apple, pineapple, brioche, yellow flowers, and baking spice, the 2016 Carte Blanche is rich and full-bodied on the palate, balanced by a refined freshness of acidity and a touch of crushed rock minerality on the finish. This is as good as they come from California, from a producer and winemaker at the absolute pinnacle.

Just eight barrels of this Chardonnay were made, so we don’t have to tell you how scant our allocation is. For lovers of first-class Chardonnays from the Old World or New, this is a true head-turning showpiece Chard from the California coast.

Fruit for the 2016 UV Chardonnay comes from the UV Vineyard, named after beloved vineyard manager and local legend Ulises Valdez, who passed away in late 2018. Located just six miles from the Pacific Coast, the vineyard consists of rare Sebastopol clay soils that were planted with Wente and Robert Young clones by Valdez himself. Since then, world-class producers like Aubert have turned to UV for perfection-producing grapes.

Valdez, whose legacy includes having an eye for connecting winemaking talent with top-notch vineyards, personally connected Keplinger to the UV site. It’s no surprise then, that the UV Chardonnay found its way into Carte Blanche, a label whose commitment to top grapes and winemaking talent is unwavering. 

Proprietor Nicholas Allen brought Keplinger on in 2014, and she made her mark immediately: Jeb Dunnuck called her 2014s “brilliant wines,” and has since awarded her Carte Blanche Cabernets 98 and 100 points. Of course, those plaudits came on top of her Winemaker of the Year award from Food & Wine magazine and her Wine Spectator cover.

Consisting of 75% Old Wente and 25% Robert Young clones, this Chardonnay was barrel-fermented, then gained richness and toastiness over 18 months in 50% new Damy and Francois Frères barrels. Full malolactic fermentation has yielded a Chardonnay of full body and striking richness, enlivened by gorgeous crushed-rock minerality and a bright streak of acid. For Burgundian Chardonnay in California, it’ll be tough to find any better.