Josh Cellars Chardonnay 2023

Josh Cellars Chardonnay 2023 is an incredibly bright, approachable, and beautifully balanced Californian white wine crafted by founder Joseph Carr as an expressive tribute to his father. Sourced from premier vineyard sites across California's top cool-climate growing regions, including parts of the North Coast and Sonoma County, this vintage relies on a distinctive split-fermentation process using both stainless steel tanks and French oak barrels. In the glass, it reveals a luminous, pale straw-yellow hue with youthful greenish highlights. The highly aromatic nose opens with clear, enticing scents of Golden Delicious apple, ripe pear, and yellow plum, seamlessly woven with tropical details of juicy peach, pineapple, and a delicate touch of citrus blossom. On the palate, the wine is medium-bodied and texturally pleasing, showing an engaging, fruit-driven fluid coherence where its crisp fruit core is beautifully counterbalanced by a refreshing line of citrus acidity and the soft creaminess of malolactic fermentation. Subtle undertones of sweet honey, vanilla bean, and light butterscotch follow on the mid-palate, concluding with a clean, uplifting finish that leaves a delicate kiss of toasted oak.

Food Pairing: Pairs beautifully with garlic butter shrimp scampi, creamy fettuccine Alfredo, pan-roasted herb chicken, steamed mussels, or mild cheeses like Brie.

92 Points - Wine Enthusiast