Sonoma Chardonnay beyond the stereotypes: 20 great bottles that show the spectrum of terroir-driven styles
Thanks to its broad geographical spread, California’s Sonoma County produces a dizzying array of different Chardonnay styles. Here are 20 bottles that capture the region’s range.
Sonoma County is huge - more than 4,000km2, stretching from the Pacific coast to the mountains. It’s twice the size of its next-door neighbour Napa Valley, and larger than the state of Rhode Island.
You would think that such a wide geographical range would translate into diversity in its wines. And it does. Yet the conversation about Chardonnay here keeps recycling the same two talking points: the buttery-oaky California stereotype and austere, overly restrained wines.
Ironically, given this duopoly of opinion, Chardonnay is considered by winemakers to be a ‘blank canvas’ – malleable enough to be shaped in the cellar, but capable of deeply expressing terroir. A Chardonnay that tastes saline and sharp on the West Sonoma Coast turns richer and rounder 15km inland in Russian River. Mountain sites add structure due to the elevation and tension from rocky soils, while wines from San Pablo Bay-cooled Los Carneros tend toward softer textures and freshness. With more than 20 sub-appellations in the county, that’s not even close to the full picture.
Listening to the terroir
But expressing such a range hasn’t always been the focus. ‘There’s been a shift in the last 10 years,’ says Kristina Shideler, winemaker at Stonestreet Wines in Healdsburg. The change isn’t just technical – less oak, lower alcohol, more restraint – it’s philosophical. ‘There is now a willingness among Sonoma County producers to let their sites dictate the style,’ says Jasmine Hirsch of Hirsch Vineyards.
This meaningful change has brought a sharper focus on single vineyards, the incredible diversity of the region’s soils and farming practices that are more attuned to the land. ‘We have more soil types than all of France, plus an extreme variety of microclimates,’ says Hirsch.
Has the message broken through? ‘I still hear people say, “I don’t like California Chardonnay, but I like yours”,’ Hirsch admits.
Even if some of the stigma lingers, Sonoma’s diversity has never been clearer. And the wines have never tasted better. Shideler is confident: ‘Get over everything that you think about Sonoma Chardonnay. We’re in a new wave.’
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