2017 Reynoso Family Vineyards Chardonnay Russian River Valley 750 ml

Reynoso Family Vineyards is one of Sonoma’s best-kept secrets—a remote Alexander Valley estate with the cache of regional powerhouses like Silver Oak or Jordan, yet operating on a much smaller scale.

The list of clients they sell grapes to is of the highest order (St. Francis, The Calling, Silver Oak). The wines they make themselves, often aided by 100-point maverick Philippe Melka, are coveted by expert buyers. In fact, Food & Wine put a Reynoso-produced bottle on their list of “12 Wines That Serious Collectors Don’t Want You to Know About.”

So locking into almost the entire production of this marvelously lush 2017 Chardonnay, sourced from some of Sonoma’s most prized vineyards, was the kind of deal we dream about closing. First, because it’s a stunning expression of sumptuous Russian River Valley concentration, full-bodied and creamy, flooding the palate with jasmine, ginger, Tahitian vanilla, and butterscotch. Secondly, because it’s the kind of need-to-know-a-guy type of wine you’d scarcely come across in a store or restaurant.

Established in 1994, owners Joe and Elena Reynoso have an intimate connection to their land and the surrounding network of top growers. They started out here when just ten acres were planted to old Cabernet, and they lived in a 700-square-foot, 1920s Sears mail-order house without heat. Nearly 30 years later, their ties to Sonoma’s winegrowing community mean they get elite-level access to grapes that normally go to the highest bidder.

Most of the grapes in this bottle hail from Jim Pratt’s Irwin Lane: the first vineyard planted by this Sonoma legend. Located on the Russian River Valley’s warmer Santa Rosa Plain, this site lends the wine its rounded opulence. Chardonnay from Platt Vineyard—a plot beloved by the likes of Ramey, Littorai, and Rivers-Marie—gives the 2017 its luscious tension. Sources also include Lynmar Estate sites Susanna’s Vineyard and Quail Hill Vineyard, named by Wine Spectator as one of the best vineyards in Sonoma County.

Elena takes every precaution to ensure that all that blue-chip fruit is expressed with as much purity as possible. Grapes are hand-harvested at night, brought in cool, whole-cluster crushed, drained slowly into tanks, and fermented and aged 16 months in 25% new French oak barrels. The wine remains on the lees with stirring every few weeks to give it a rich, creamy texture.

This is an incredible bargain—the kind of vibrant yet rich Chardonnay that California does best.