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B-21 Top Recommendation Read More
"Full-bodied, with a ripe, classic feel, it has a nice, rounded mouthfeel and offers a lovely sense of place." - Audrey Frick, JebDunnuck.com
From the Sonoma estate renowned for crafting Chardonnay from exceptional vineyard sites, the 92-point 2022 Hartford Court Russian River Valley Chardonnay offers luscious, creamy fruit with bright acidity on an elegant finish with lingering notes of honey and spice, a beautifully balanced expression sourced from AVAs throughout the Russian River Valley.
Located in the town of Forestville about 15 miles from the Pacific Coast, the Hartford Family Winery was founded by Don and Jenny Hartford in 1994, specializing in single vineyard releases from a range of small vineyards throughout the Russian River Valley. Veteran winemaker Jeff Stewart employs the same meticulous artisan techniques for the Russian River Valley blend as the vineyard-designated cuvées, hand-harvesting the grapes at night and early morning, fermenting with indigenous yeasts and bottling without fining and minimal filtration. Employing regular lees stirring to add layered complexity, Stewart and winemaker Tiann Lordan aged the 2022 for 10 months in 28% new French oak, yielding intense, lush fruit with subtle minerality and a supple texture, finishing with refreshing, well-integrated acidity.
Summing up Hartford Family Winery’s reputation for quality and consistency, Wine Enthusiast’s Virginie Boone declared “there may be no better bang for your buck in Russian River Valley Chardonnay.” In other words, it's an unbeatable value for lovers of California Chard seeking a great deal. |
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Coming from across the neighborhoods of the Russian River Valley, the 2022 Chardonnay Russian River Valley is ripe with aromas of toasted spice, orange rind, preserved lemon, honeysuckle, and baked apples. Full-bodied, with a ripe, classic feel, it has a nice, rounded mouthfeel and offers a lovely sense of place. Drink 2024-2030.
92 points, Audrey Frick, Jeb Dunnuck (Jun 2024)
The 2022 Chardonnay comes bounding out of the glass with eager-to-please notes of juicy ripe pears, yellow apples, and powdered ginger with touches of acacia honey and lightly buttered toast. The medium-bodied palate has lovely harmony, with a satiny texture and a spicy kick to the finish. This wine was barrel fermented and aged in French oak. Native strains were used for alcoholic and malolactic fermentation and the wine is unfined and unfiltered. The Russian River Valley Chardonnay is a barrel selection from all of Hartford Court's Estate Designated Vineyard properties and select growers from all RRV neighborhoods: Middle Reach, Green Valley, Laguna Ridge, Santa Rosa Plain, and Sebastopol Hills.
92 points, Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Independent (Apr 2024)
Another hit by Hartford team... always a great source of Russian River Chardonnay value with layers of peach and pear – good acidity and refined spicy finish with honeyed notes.
92 points, Bob Sprentall, B-21 Proprietor (Mar 2024)