2019 Talley Vineyards Chardonnay Oliver's Edna Valley 750 ml

If you see a Chardonnay from Talley, grab it.

That advice has held strong since this pioneer began making wines in the 1980s—but it’s acquired a special urgency for the 2019s, which critics hailed as some of Talley’s best ever.

“It has been a no-brainer to count Talley as one of the New World’s top producers of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay for years now,” wrote Vinous. “That said, these vibrant 2019s are easily one of the most impressive sets of wines that I have had from Talley in the past two decades I have been tasting and drinking them.”

Grown on a benchmark site that’s among the oldest in Edna Valley, this 2019 Chardonnay off Oliver’s Vineyard in Edna Valley is “clean, pure, and balanced, with a beautiful mouthfeel and finish,” according to Jeb Dunnuck.

Named after vintner Brian’s Talley’s grandfather, a tenant farmer who first began working the land in Santa Maria Valley in the 1930s, the Oliver Vineyard cuvée occupies a central place in the hallowed canon of Talley Chardonnays. 

The first vintage came in 1994. Brian bottled a sample and mocked up a label that read “Oliver’s Vineyard.” Oliver’s favorite grape had always been Riesling, but when he tasted what Brian poured for him, he promptly declared it his new favorite wine.  

Today, this wine is still grown from the original 16-acre plot. The mild growing seasons facilitate acidity, and Talley and winemaker Eric Johnson tune up just enough oak to give the wine a supple roundness while leaving a trace of vanilla cream on the palate. The resulting balance is beautifully struck, and it will enchant white-wine drinkers no matter which way their palates lean.