2005 Failla - Chardonnay Keefer Ranch Chardonnay - USA - California - Sonoma - Russian River Valley - White

Pale yellow. Musky, expressive aromas of apricot, peach, marzipan, truffle and spices. Shows its sweet fruit on entry, but this is screwed tight in the middle, with strong acids and a firm mineral spine keeping the wine quite restrained today. Hardly your typical California chardonnay-but then winemaker Ehren Jordan's archetype is French wine. This may be more pliant by the time it's released in the fall.

The 2005 Chardonnay Keefer Ranch reveals a crisp, elegant style offering notes of green apple skins, lemon honey, white peaches, and zesty acidity. This fragrant Chardonnay could easily be mistaken for a premier cru from the Cote de Beaune. Drink it over the next 3-4 years.

Fresh aromas of tangerine and nectarine are intense and vibrant, carrying over to the palate, where they're enlivened by snappy acidity. Ends with a long, clean finish.