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"The 2024 Chardonnay (Russian River Valley) really overdelivers. It’s an ideal expression of the Russian River Valley..." - Antonio Galloni, Vinous
The Hartford Family's roots in Sonoma's Russian River Valley are second to none, and they farm some of the Golden State's most prized plots of old-vine Zinfandel, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay. Their reference-point range runs the gamut from incredible single-vineyard expressions to some of the greatest bang-for-the-buck values in the appellation. It's the latter category that brings us today's must-see offer. The 2024 Hartford Court Russian River Chardonnay is undeniably a pound-for-pound value champion in California Chardonnay. The fruit sources for the wine are primarily the estate's own prized sites, including Jennifer's, Fog Dance, Bellflower and Arrendel. For a wine that sees 20-30% new oak and full malolactic fermentation, the profile is "notably restrained, the 2024 shows excellent finesse, especially for an appellation-level bottling," according to Antonio Galloni of Vinous. Frankly, you'd be hard-pressed to find an everyday California Chardonnay with this kind of pedigree and class, so stocking up on a case or three is a flat-out no-brainer decision that you won't regret. |