Year’s Best US Chardonnay; Tom Baker purchased the Starr Ridge Vineyard from Gary Farrell in 2008, adding it to the Davis Bynum estate he’d taken over earlier that year. John Wilson made this wine, joining the team in 2014 after four years as assistant winemaker at Littorai. He presents it as a coastal chardonnay, the flavors of salted lemons and sea beans looking to the Pacific. The fruit is savory, touching on green olive, prickly pear and agave. Juicy, smoky, firm and persistent, this leaves the mouth ready for fluke crudo with olives.
