Chateau Montelena Chardonnay 2022

There’s tremendous purity on the nose of this wine. At the same time, it’s also quite intense. Peach, apricot and kiwi drive an abundance of ripeness, which cascades into fresh cut flowers, orange blossom and cantaloupe. The citrus really comes to life here as mandarin, Meyer lemon and finally lemon verbena. While green apple, which is typically quite pronounced in Montelena wines, is somewhat overshadowed by the opulence of other flavors, expect it to become more prominent over time. Moreover, the texture is still angular and somewhat tight, which isn’t surprising given the wine’s youth. However, there’s certainly plenty to look forward to with notes of graham cracker, cinnamon and toast lingering beneath the surface. The finish initially leans into d’Anjou pear with some additional baking spice. It slowly transitions back to apple but more as cider than fresh cut. The citrus also persists as lemon zest and there’s a touch of peppery ginger as punctuation. While still predominantly linear, the finish should develop in breadth and gravity in coming years.