Buy Now: Sonoma Chardonnay

The vineyards of Raen bask in the late afternoon sun in the Freestone Occidental area on the Sonoma Coast.

Sonoma County is often overshadowed by the fame of its prestigious Californian neighbor, Napa Valley. But Sonoma has a significant amount of land under vine, around 26,000 hectares, similar to Burgundy. And also like Burgundy, it distinguishes itself by making high-class whites from chardonnay and reds from pinot noir (see our recent Sonoma Report here) although we think that cabernet sauvignon and malbec are pretty awesome too. Plus, there’s a big difference between wines from vineyards near cooler coastline and hot inland areas.

The county stretches along the western edge of California and is separated from Napa in the east by the Mayacamas Mountains. Wine styles vary according to producer, but the climate plays an important factor. Among the county’s 18 AVAs, coastal vineyards in particular experience an important cooling effect from fog that rolls in off the cold Pacific Ocean. This acts as a dense blanket over the vineyards in the afternoon, shielding grapes from the hot afternoon rays.

The cooler and wetter conditions of Sonoma Coast AVA, right next to the Pacific Ocean, result in wines with more acidity and tension. You can find this in the solid structure of Joseph Phelps Chardonnay Sonoma County Sonoma Coast Freestone Vineyards 2019, while Dumol Chardonnay Sonoma County Sonoma Coast DuMol Estate Vineyard 2019 shows fascinating rock-salt salinity.

Cold air is also channelled through the Petaluma Gap at the bottom of Sonoma, cooling AVAs such as Carneros and the Russian River Valley. Combined with the high diurnal (day-to-night) temperature shift, wines from chardonnay retain bright acidity alongside ripe fruit profiles.

Below are eight widely available Sonoma chardonnays under $100 that are perfect to drink now. Most of these are from 2019, an exceptional vintage for Sonoma with milder temperatures than the warm 2018, with very few heat spikes. We have also included Domaine Della Chardonnay Sonoma County Russian River Valley Ritchie Vineyard 2018 – a beautiful example of the concentration and dense, phenolic texture the region is capable of, while remaining tight with crisp acidity.