Forge Cellars Forge Cellars Caywood Vineyard Chardonnay 2023 750ml

I love the interplay of restrained ripeness, cool minerality and delicate oak. Excellent textural complexity on the medium-bodied palate. Long, elegantly structured finish. From some of the oldest vines in the region, planted inn the 1970s. Drink or hold.

Barrel-fermented in used 500-liter oak, the 2023 Chardonnay Caywood Vineyard comes from some of Charles Fournier's 1970s-era plantings, originally intended for sparkling wine. There's a spicy hint of oak on the nose, along with hints of custard, stone fruit and citrus. In the mouth, the wine is medium-bodied (12.4% alcohol) and silky-textured, with a long, elegant finish. (Joe Czerwinski)

The 2023 Chardonnay Caywood Vineyard is tropical, exuberant and expressive on the nose. Slightly diffuse on the mid-palate, it boasts flavors of creamed corn, Bosc pear and ripe yellow peach. This big-boned Chardonnay could use more energy and delineation. (Billy Norris)

The 2023 Chardonnay Caywood Vineyard is tropical, exuberant and expressive on the nose. Slightly diffuse on the mid-palate, it boasts flavors of creamed corn, Bosc pear and ripe yellow peach. This big-boned Chardonnay could use more energy and delineation.

Fresh and modestly juicy, with direct yellow apple and pear flavors laced with a fan-friendly honeysuckle note. Drink now through 2026. 496 cases made.