Vivier Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2021 (750ml) *

Cool-climate Chardonnay tends to trade weight for clarity, and this bottling from Vivier leans into that logic. Grown along California's Sonoma Coast, the 2021 is a restrained, precise take on the grape, matured in a modest proportion of new oak (roughly ten percent) split between foudres and barriques, so the wood frames the fruit rather than covering it.

The nose is bright and layered, red apple and lemon peel edged with crushed almond and a faint yogurt tang. On the palate it is light in body but satiny in feel, opening gradually toward stony citrus flavors. There is real concentration here, generous fruit held in check by focused acidity, and the finish coats the mouth and lingers. Energetic and expressive, a Chardonnay built on tension rather than richness.