2018 Reynoso Family Vineyards Chardonnay Russian River Valley 750 ml

The 2018 Reynoso Russian River Valley Chardonnay might be the best affordable Chardonnay you’ll taste this year. Crafted from eight barrels that were destined for much more expensive bottles, it’s gorgeously composed and precise, with delicate fruit and intricate depths of jasmine, vanilla salt, and wet stones—a remarkable wine that echoes white Burgundy but has all the richness of the Russian River Valley. 

It was grown on three Russian River Valley vineyards whose grapes go into $90+ wines, making its $45 SRP a great deal already. But we claimed every bottle for Wine Access members, so we got the kind of price you’ll rarely ever see on a Chardonnay of this quality. 

The son of Mexican immigrants and the oldest of 15 children, Joe Reynoso grew up around California farms. After earning an MBA from the University of Chicago and working the stock market floor as a trader, he leveraged his immense business acumen to start his own vineyard in Alexander Valley.

Joe and his wife Elena started out with just ten acres planted to Cabernet and lived in a 700-square-foot, 1920s Sears mail-order house that had no heat. Nearly 30 years later, Joe has his hand in several elite labels, and his ties to Sonoma’s winegrowing community mean he gets insider access to grapes that normally go to the highest bidder.

That’s made Reynoso Family Vineyards one of Sonoma’s best-kept secrets, a boutique estate that has the cachet of a regional powerhouse but operates on a much smaller, more exclusive scale. Ever the businessman, Joe sells grapes to clients of the highest order, yet the wines he and his family make themselves are expertly crafted treasures.