Böen, Santa Barbara, Monterey and Sonoma Counties (California) Chardonnay 2018

 First, I very much enjoyed this wine, both for its flavors and for its being different.  That said, some drinkers might call this wine “flawed” for the effects that excess oxygen has had on it, but I believe that no wine is flawed if the wine’s producer intended it to be the way it is, which I assume Joe Wagner did here.  It reminds me in flavor of Chardonnays made 40 or so years ago in Mid-Atlantic states when new wineries were just getting the hang of things – medium body, rich fruitiness of quince and red-ripe gooseberries in the foretaste and hints of mild cheeses, a little smoke and white Vermouth in the finish, although not really maderized.  I don’t know if the flavors can be replicated in future vintages, but I’m a fan-in-waiting!