2017 TOR Wines Chardonnay Durell Vineyard Sonoma Coast 750 ml

The Romanée-Conti of California

“I visited Romanée-Conti several years in the 80s and spent a good deal of time with the winemaker,” vintner Tor Kenward told us. “We essentially make our Chardonnay the exact same way.” Since Tor’s golden wine is fermented and aged in French oak, with lees stirring for creaminess, and bottled without fining and filtration to showcase the maximum expression of color, aroma, and flavor, we couldn’t help but agree. 

Buttery, rich, and citrus-scented, the 2017 TOR Durell Vineyard Chardonnay is a 95-point blockbuster that’s keeping TOR at the top of the proverbial heap, and a can’t-miss release for lovers of rich, luscious Chardonnay and Burgundian elegance. 

During our last visit to TOR, we started and finished our tasting with the ‘17 Durell Chardonnay. First, over small talk and getting settled in, it intrigued us with complex aromas of golden apple, honeysuckle, jasmine, and citrus cream. Hours later, after tasting TOR’s whole lineup, it refreshed us with its hypnotic combination of ripe orchard fruit, white peaches, slate, and baking spice, presented with a decadence and intensity that only the best vineyard sites can muster. 

It makes sense, when you consider the Durell vineyard’s near-mythical status: It lies at the edge of three appellations—Carneros, Sonoma Valley, and the Sonoma Coast—and the wines showcase the confluence of Pacific breezes, California sun, and long, cool days with beautiful precision. 

We wouldn’t have had a prayer securing an allocation of a wine this in-demand, save for Wine Access’s Master Sommelier Sur Lucero, who boosted the TOR brand at the French Laundry. Many would gladly empty out their wallets for a California Grand Cru white of this quality. But at this terrific price, you don’t have to. 

Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate adored this release to the tune of 95 points, praising its aromas of “honeyed peaches, lemon tart, melons and savory/toasty notes,” and went on to wax poetic about the wine’s “long, satiny and very savory” finish. 

But the Advocate isn’t the only one to recognize the delicious complexities of TOR’s 2017 Durell Chardonnay—this Sonoma jewel is being recognized far and wide, with placements on stunning wine lists: It’s on those of LA’s Providence, The Farm at Carneros Inn, Goose & Gander, and en route to the two-Michelin-starred Spago in Beverly Hills. 

Planted in 1979, Durell has a decades-long reputation as one of the most extraordinary vineyards on the coast, having supplied numerous 94-96 point Kistler Chardonnays. TOR’s single-vineyard Chardonnay owes its combination of elegance, concentration, and verve to the juicy Wente clone, which thrives in Durell’s Goulding clay loam and diatomaceous earth, which lends smoky subtlety to the finished wine. In particular, TOR sources from the coveted “Sandy Hill” block, which is marked by fine sand and a steep incline that imbue the berries with saline sophistication and mineral depth.

The winemaking pedigree at TOR could not be higher, with Jeff Ames—“one of Napa’s rising stars” according to Wine Spectator—at the wheel and Tor Kenward, a 25-year veteran of Beringer, overseeing the operation. Kenward takes his inspiration from a Montrachet legend, and in his 2017 Durell Chardonnay, you can taste it in every drop.