2022 Talley Vineyards Chardonnay San Luis Obispo Coast 750 ml

Talley Vineyards isn’t just perfectly positioned for some of the best cool-climate Chardonnay in California, it’s also perfectly positioned for lunch. So on a recent drive from LA to SF, our stomachs started growling just as we crossed from Santa Barbara to San Luis Obispo county. As we pulled off of (the) 101 toward Pismo Beach, we texted Eric Johnson, Talley’s winemaker. 

Eric was hard at work in the cellar, but we hounded him to duck out to Wooly’s for a bite, and he walked in with a bottle of the 2022 Estate Chardonnay just as our seafood rolls and steamed clams were hitting the table. We popped the cork and made our case that it was time to bring Talley back. 

You don’t need to stand on Talley soil to see what makes it so special: As we ate, Eric, who hails from the Central Valley but exudes a laid-back coastal vibe, flipped his head out toward the ocean, where the fog was rolling in on a stiff wind. “That maritime influence…” he started. “We’re close to Paso, but a world away because of our proximity to the ocean. On a clear day, you can see the water from Rosemary, no problem.” 

Talley’s precious Rosemary, Oliver’s, and Rincon Vineyards, which supply single-vineyard bottlings that go for double the price, make up 80% of this estate-grown bottling. They were the first to plant Chardonnay in the Arroyo Grande Valley—the result of a visionary move, when the Talley family planted a test plot of grapes on their vegetable farm in 1982. Four years later, Talley Vineyards was born, and soon Central Coast Chardonnay was on the map.