A nose of honeycomb and white tea turns into crisply ripe melon on the palate. No oak and no malo make this a great summer patio drink, or a great pairing with rich, cream-of-etcetera soups.
Stirm's Chardonnay is grown at high elevations in the Santa Cruz Mountains, south of San Francisco. The wine is treated with a light touch of oak aging for a year and is bottled with a beautiful acidity.
Single-vineyard Chardonnay from the California oceanside in the Santa Rita Hills. This wine has good acidity and isn't overripe but still shows a bit of toasted coconut from oak influence.