Wayfarer Chardonnay The Estate Fort Ross-Seaview 2023

Only. Five. Cases. 98 points. Free shipping on three bottles or more. For folks who crave that crisp, salty sea spray-infused, richly balanced personality of extreme Sonoma Coast Chardonnay – this is a no-nonsense opportunity!

Perched high above the Pacific Ocean, on the remote and rugged Sonoma Coast, Wayfarer Vineyard began its story long before its wines bore the estate’s name. Originally, the land was an organic farm, and even home to a small school, until visionary Napa vintner Jayson Pahlmeyer purchased the property in 1998. Inspired by winemaker Helen Turley’s conviction that the site could be the “La Tâche of California,” Jayson planted Pinot Noir and Chardonnay on the property’s dramatic Goldridge-soiled ridges with the help hand of famed viticulturist David Abreu in 2002.

After years of selling grapes and blending fruit into Pahlmeyer wines, Jayson’s daughter, Cleo Pahlmeyer, finally launched the first estate-grown Wayfarer wines in 2012, turning it into a strikingly expressive and impressive small-lot Pinot Noir and Chardonnay house that has swiftly become one of California’s most revered. The 2023 “The Estate” Chardonnay is the winery’s flagship that blends three California heritage clones, planted on both east and west-facing slopes, showcasing the full complexity of its clonal diversity and dramatic Fort Ross-Seaview terroir and microclimate.

The wine gives so much – with a posh hue of silvery pale gold, charismatic aromas of juicy yellow peach, Granny Smith apple, and dried mango play seductively with undertones of slate and salty sea spray. The palate confirms these themes, heightened by notes of lemon verbena and blossom, salted tangerine slices, and hints of white pepper, vanilla, and grilled bread slices. Winemaker Todd Kohn had this to say: “Typically, you don’t talk about structure in Chardonnay, but with Wayfarer you do. You have structure and salinity, and they age just as well as the Pinot Noirs.” We concur with zeal – and could happily have a glass of this every day and still find new layers and nuances unfolding like a spring flower in bloom. Treat yourself to a tremendous iteration of the Sonoma Coast, and see for yourself its boundless energy, complexity, and appeal! 

PAIRING IDEAS: This is called a “summer” lobster pasta – but I’m all for breaking rules if the circumstances are right. Rich, meaty lobster tail with a buttery, lemony, tomato-packed sauce atop tender tagliatelle noodles with fresh herbs? It’s sure to send your taste buds into overdrive with this decadent coastal Chard.