Winemaker Notes
The 2021 Jayson Chardonnay offers a captivating interplay of richness and finesse, with a soulful complexity revealing itself with each sip. The nose is greeted with aromas of orange blossom and honeysuckle, lemon oil, and crushed Marcona almond. Notes of preserved Meyer lemon introduce the bright, finely detailed palate, the integrated oak profile lending a complementing mid-palate richness. Interwoven notes of butterscotch, marzipan, and grilled pineapple slowly emerge and sustain through a long, layered finish.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This classic, proven style of toasty but balanced Chardonnay will be perfect for a dinner party. It is dry, appetizing and just rich enough in texture to pair with grilled fish, roast chicken, even steak. Savoring on its own brings out a creamy, layered palate of poached pears and vanilla bean.
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James Suckling
Sliced cooked apple with some apple puree and apple blossom as well as lemon rind on the nose. Medium-bodied with creamy texture. Flint and mineral flavors. Good acidity and energy. Hints of fresh straw underneath.
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Wine Spectator
Rich and bold up front, offering plenty of honeysuckle and spice notes. A drizzle of wildflower honey and a toast detail complement flavors of apricot pastry, candied ginger and marmalade, while a fresh thread of acidity runs throughout, keeping the flavors juicy and in focus on the creamy frame. Drink now through 2033. 4,422 cases made.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Pahlmeyer's 2021 Jayson Chardonnay is nicely balanced, in a restrained, sedate format, with subtle nutty and creamy notes set against oak spice, white peaches and ripe pineapple. Primarily a selection of barrels that didn't make the cut for the top bottlings, it's medium to full-bodied, round and generous in the mouth; it's just lacking a bit of intensity and length. It's still an excellent wine.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
Reaching up California's coastline and into its valleys north of San Francisco, the North Coast AVA includes six counties: Marin, Solano, Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino and Lake. While Napa and Sonoma enjoy most of the glory, the rest produce no shortage of quality wines in an intriguing and diverse range of styles.
Climbing up the state's rugged coastline, the chilly Marin County, just above the City and most of Sonoma County, as well as Mendocino County on the far north end of the North Coast successfully grow cool-climate varieties like Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and in some spots, Riesling. Inland Lake County, on the other hand, is considerably warmer, and Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel and Sauvignon Blanc produce some impressive wines with affordable price tags.