Gary Farrell Vineyards & Winery, Russian River Valley (Sonoma County, California) Chardonnay 2017

 I’ve heard the Gary Farrell Pinots and Chardonnays made by Theresa Heredia praised to the skies by several wine writing colleagues, but I always take such praise with a grain of salt until I’ve tasted for myself.  Well, any skepticism on my part was unwarranted, as this was fantastic.  I tasted it not only with its stablemate Chardonnays but also with a very high end Chardonnay from Oregon, and that poor wine from Oregon got thumped so badly that I need to taste it again to make sure it wasn’t slightly corked.  Be that as it may, this is phenomenally sexy Chardonnay, beginning with wonderfully alluring aromas of grilled nuts, spices, and evident but restrained scents of vanilla and woodsmoke.  It is very rich but not quite heavy, thanks to excellent acidity that is extremely well integrated, but which I mean that the rich fruit (peach and mango come to mind) is energized by it rather than pulling against it.  The fancy oak that provided the aromatic fireworks shows up again in the finish, with just enough wood tannin to provide framing for the wine’s viscous mouthfeel, but not enough to come across as grainy or astringent.  In short, gorgeous fruit, very skillfully wrought.  Even shorter:  Killer wine.