Barra of Mendocino, Mendocino County (California) Chardonnay 2021

 Barra’s Reserve Chardonnay is sourced from the best grapes harvested each year.  Winemaker, Randy Meyer, told me that patience in winemaking is what sets Barra’s Chardonnay apart from the rest of California.  All of Barra’s vineyards are farmed organically, which means they spend more time and effort in preventing potential problems than dealing with their impact.  In the winery, the wine is barrel fermented and barrel aged for well integrated flavors that come across with each sip.  Barra’s Chardonnays undergo four-to-five months of lees aging to integrate the desired bready complexity from yeast autolysis.  This wine is an excellent example of a California Chardonnay with complex fruit and balanced winemaking influences.  Barra’s Reserve Chardonnay can compete with Chardonnays from neighboring Sonoma and Napa but I doubt they can compete with its $24 price tag.