“The greatest Chardonnay vineyards of Burgundy-Montrachet and Corton-Charlemagne, to name two—bask in near universal acclaim from the world’s wine collectors. For centuries, winemakers have coveted the fruit from these grand crus, which are concentrated within walking distance of the town of Beaune. “In California, winemakers also have identified their top sites for Chardonnay—vineyards that make wonderful, distinctive and sometimes ageworthy wines year after year. But unlike Burgundy, these prized plots are scattered along more than 300 miles, from northern Sonoma County to Santa Barbara. “Many are just two or three decades old, but a few go back to the 1960s,...
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Virginie Boone, Jim Gordon and Matt Kettman, September 2016