Chappellet, Carneros (California) Chardonnay 2021

 With its charm and elegance this is a Chardonnay that will fit tastily into a range of different dining experiences, from lunch on the terrace, to pre-diner aperitif, to late-night quaff.  The grapes are sourced from three different sites in the estate’s Sangiacomo Vineyards which may help explain this Chardonnay’s tasty complexity.  The Sangiacomo family has been farming this land for multiple generations and has clearly gotten to know it.  2021 was an exceptionally dry, though reasonably temperate, year.  The resulting wine offers a bonanza of flavors including citrus, melon and peach along with discreet oak and suggestion of nutmeg.