BEST OF THE BEST FROM 2019 INTERNATIONAL WINE FEST

Annual event once again features grape tastes from around the world, writes Anthony Gismondi.

UNABASHED CHARDONNAY

Chardonnay is undergoing a style tweak globally: the wine is fresher with brighter acidity and there is more lees contact for texture and complexity.

The result is a much better wine with food, which must be the goal of any wine in our estimation.

Don’t worry about the end of that unabashed California Chardonnay style, it still exists and in its best format it is hard not to like. Don’t miss this list of standouts.

Bodega Argento Reserva Chardonnay 2017, Mendoza, Argentina, $20.99

Brewer-Clifton Chardonnay 2016, Sta. Rita Hills, Santa Barbara County, California, $39.99

Davis Bynum River West Chardonnay 2016, Sonoma County, California, $31

Familia Zuccardi Q Chardonnay 2017, Valle de Uco, Argentina, $22.99

Gallo Signature Series Chardonnay 2016, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, California, $50

J. Lohr Arroyo Vista Chardonnay 2016, Arroyo Seco, Monterey, California, $32.99

Kendall Jackson Jackson Estate Chardonnay 2017, Santa Maria Valley, Santa Barbara County, California, $42.99

Mission Hill Family Estate Perpetua Chardonnay 2016, Okanagan Valley, $38

Vasse Felix Chardonnay 2017, Western Australia, $45.99