Bernardus Chardonnay
5 W. Carmel Valley Road, Carmel Valley
(831) 223-2533, www.bernardus.com/winery
Monterey County’s climate and soil are ideally suited for Chardonnay, capable of bringing out a trademark fruitiness in a wine known by many as oak – and butter-centric. Dean DeKorth, the winemaker at Bernardus, takes advantage of sunny summers and warm, dry conditions in September and October to grow grapes ripe for a hallmark wine. He collects grapes from a collective of choice growers in Arroyo Seco and the Santa Lucia Highlands, and takes the literal fruits of their labor and crafts it into a fruit-forward concoction of his own, with subtle, toasty oak character brought on during the fermentation process in French oak barrels. Hints of pear and ripe apple aromas accentuate the wine’s floral bouquet, and soft and crisp creaminess makes it elegant on the palate.