2020 Martin Ray Vineyards and Winery Chardonnay Sonoma Coast 750 ml

Merry Edwards. Paul Hobbs. Dehlinger. These iconic Chardonnays come from a special corner of the Russian River Valley.

Williams-Selyem’s Olivet Lane Chardonnay and Merry Edwards’ Olivet Lane Chardonnay both come from the same neighborhood as the Cartan Vineyard that produced the core of the 2020 Martin Ray Sonoma Coast Chardonnay.

We know that neighborhood well—that’s why our Master Sommelier, Sur Lucero, has been asking Martin Ray Vineyards for an allocation of this Chardonnay for years. 

He finally pulled the rabbit out of the hat.

The key to this wine? The vineyards: Cartan gives Russian River richness and breadth, Sonoma Coast’s Mill Station contributes cut and minerality, and both worlds are woven together seamlessly. James Suckling loved its “layered and focused palate,” and “excellent structure and energy.”  

This wine’s seeming effortlessness of balance is also the result of intensive labor in the vineyards. That was the spirit in which Martin Ray—a pioneer of California viticulture alongside legends like Donn Chappellet and Robert Mondavi—founded his winery in the 1940s, and it continues in his name today. 

Ray wanted to craft Pinot Noir and Chardonnay to rival the best of Europe when most would have found that notion laughable. He cut yields and refused to irrigate in the vineyard, and he was even stricter in the cellar, sometimes holding wines back a decade until he felt they were ready to go to market. That dedication to quality landed Martin Ray wines in the White House under both the Johnson and Nixon administrations, and started a legacy that continues with 92-point gems like this one.

All harmony and elegance, this Sonoma Coast Chardonnay floored us at the tasting table, and it’ll thrill you too.