Maritana La Riviere Chardonnay 2019

The Barra family are a family whose legendary contributions were mostly behind the scenes, but this wine comes to us from Donald Patz, who is arguably one of the most important producers of Chardonnay in the last 40 years. Originally a partner in the Patz & Hall winery (which they sold to Chateau St. Michelle in 2016), Donald is a tireless promotor of his wines but also those of his friends and neighbors, who he sees as equals to the French in quality and better values.

The name La Rivière is in honor of the Russian River Valley where he sources the grapes from growers he has worked with for decades. For this wine it is composed of grapes from Dutton, Martinelli and Jenkins Ranch vineyards, all elite properties providing grapes for the creme de la creme of the category. Donald then whole cluster presses the grapes and ferments and ages in French oak barrels. The result is old school Chardonnay that shows great richness and texture, but thanks to Donald’s skilled hand it also has freshness. This is even more impressive when you consider this wine is 5 vintages old and the current release.

To really appreciate this wine for all the beauty you will want to decant it and let it warm to around 50-55 degrees. After fifteen minutes the nose is a decadent combination of cardamom, turmeric, green apple, blanched almonds, white tea and butter brickle. Then on the palate this wine shows an impressive intensity of fruit and great richness, with the flavors stretching into an impressively long finish. Drink this wine in 2024-2028 with seared scallops over a bed of fennel risotto or stuffed chicken breasts with boursin and spinach.