2023 Chardonnay Mays Canyon

The 2023 Chardonnay Mays Canyon opens dramatically with air, with apricot and peach giving way to nuances of fresh meringue, cashew, beeswax and exotic floral perfume. The medium-bodied palate is silky and dynamic, pairing saline-laced flavors with honeyed undertones, and its vibrant acidity lures you back to the glass for another sip. It should be long lived in the cellar. 234 cases were made.

Sits on the western edge of the Russian River AVA, outside Guerneville, eight miles from the coast at 200–400 ft of elevation on Hugo gravelly loam underlain by weathered fine-grained sandstone and shale. Planted in 1999, the site is highly unusual, for the Russian River surrounds it on three sides. The ranch has grown grapes since the 1800s. Farmed using organic and biodynamic methods. Whole-cluster pressed, with occasionally some smaller portion crushed by foot prior to pressing, then barrel-fermented with ambient yeasts, and aged for 12–14 months in 20–25% new French oak, and another 5 months in steel before bottling unfined and unfiltered. Full malolactic conversion. 180 cases produced. Aromas of lemon pith and orange peel. Stony, crystalline flavours of lemon pith and lemon peel mix with wet stone and a bright salinity that makes this wine very alluring. Nice and stony, to the point that the overall impression is quite like lemon crystals in the sunlight. Delicious. (AY)

The 2023 Chardonnay Mays Canyon is showing beautifully today. Lemon confit , marzipan, white flowers and a gentle hint of spice fill out the mid-palate, nicely conferring texture and suaveness throughout. Creamy and layered in the glass with terrific persistence, the 2023 has a lot to offer. It’s an especially sensual wine from Ted and Heidi Lemon.