Cline, Sonoma Coast Chardonnay

This get-it-while-you-can white is a brilliant reminder as to why not all Chardonnays are created equally. Crisp, bright, fresh and vibrant with tropical notes and a lick of vanilla on the finish, it is seamlessly easy to drink. Excellent with food, this has enough clout to match grills as well as poultry seafood and salads.

Think of a generous, smooth Macon and you won't be far-wrong. This is a delicious white, that happens to be made from Chardonnay: it's not a Chardonnay that happens to be delicious.

The area in which these vines grow is called the Petaluma Gap and is climatically perfect for growing Burgundian varieties. The cooling Pacific mists roll in during the summer months of the growing season, ideal for slowly ripening Chardonnay grapes, while maintaining acidity. These grapes are hand-picked and de-stemmed, fermented in large oak vats and stainless steel tanks, before maturing in mixed-age French oak for 3 months. 25% of the oak is new, giving the wine just enough toasty exoticism. Freshness is maintained further by preventing malo-lactic fermentation. I guess they reckon it would be just too much if it did.

This, then, is another classic in the Cline family winery.

Fred and Nancy's search for quality has mutated from vineyard to winery and now all areas of sustainability, which is remarkably telling in the sourcing of all products that the business uses. It seems to be a part of all wineries these days, but there is a sense that with smaller, family-run and owned wineries, that sustainability matters at a more human level. Perhaps it's not as true as that, but the commitment is compelling and very credible. I met Fred at a wine fair and was immediately hit by his humility, enthusiasm and warmth. The wines, even before that, had always impressed. After that, I was a convert!