Bouchaine, Carneros, Napa Valley (California) Unoaked Chardonnay, Estate Selection, 2023 ($40)

When I first tasted this wine, I did a double take and looked at the label – is this the unoaked version, or did I get the wrong bottle? Where did that toasty flavor come from and that hint of vanilla to go along with the lemon at the end? No matter. While it doesn’t have that anemic flavor that some unoaked Chardonnays have, it does have lovely, rounded apple flavors to go along with the toast and the vanilla, and it is very well structured with good finishing acidity.
92 Roger Morris