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Expert’s choice: Sonoma Chardonnay

Whether it’s leaner styles or the richer ‘old-school’ wines you prefer, Sonoma’s unique climate provides the ideal conditions for quality Chardonnay, as Ronan Sayburn MS explains.

The Sonoma wine-growing area is big. In its 200,000ha of land, there’s about 26,000ha of vines – about the same as Burgundy (excluding Beaujolais), with 28,000ha.

There are 1,800 grape growers who farm across 18 AVAs that stretch from the Pacific Coast to the Mayacamas Mountains on western edge of Napa Valley.

A variety of soils from volcanic, sedimentary and alluvial are mixed in the region, so climate is the key to success here.


Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for Ronan Sayburn MS’s top Sonoma Chardonnay



Ronan Sayburn MS’s top Sonoma Chardonnay:


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