Staglin Family Chardonnay Estate 2018

JD94: Young and unevolved, the 2018 Chardonnay Estate offers fresh, lively bouquet of honeyed peach and lemon oil-like notes interwoven with plenty of toasted bread, spice, and white flowers. It’s clean, medium-bodied, and elegant on the palate, and it shows the supple, elegant, approachable style of the vintage nicely. It’s going to benefit from a year in bottle and should evolve nicely for 3-5 years. This estate continues to produce a brilliant, high-class Chardonnay well worth seeking out.

VM94: The 2018 Chardonnay Estate is just gorgeous. Bright and focused in the glass with striking richness, the 2018 shows why Chardonnays from Rutherford can be so distinctive. Lemon confit, white flowers, mint and orchard fruit are all laced together in this very pretty and expressive Chardonnay. A touch of lees stirring and a bit of malolactic fermentation give the 2018 a hint of oiliness on the palate, but the style is all about brightness and energy.