Opened last night for my BIL who joined me for the game and loves chardonnay above all others:
2020 Wrath Chardonnay San Saba Vineyard Monterey California
Another reviewer called it "starbright yellow"--I'll second that, but after that we disagree as he didn't even mention the alcohol. This bottle had aging pineapple fruit that segued into a bitter, vodla-like finish. Showed a lot hotter than the 14.2% admitted to on the label, and after struggling with our first glass we dumped it.
2023 Failla Chardonnay Pearlstad Vineyard Eola - Amity Hills, Oregon
So I went and got this one. Pale straw yellow, demure, clean, graceful, neutral-oak, cool-climate 13.0% alcohol chardonnay was heaven in a glass after dumping out the hot mess from California. An established winery previously known as Patton Valley Vineyards was recently purchased by the guy who owns Failla in Sonoma, and this was one of the better chardonnays tasted on a recent trip to Oregon. Absolutely loved it.