Staff Pick Chardonnay
Couple Goals, Sebastien David – 2022 $18.96
When I brought this bottle home, my wife read the label and asked me “What are we doing with our lives? What are our Couple Goals?” We then opened and drank and our worries evaporated. What could be more fun than a liter of crushable, pocket friendly orange wine? Couple Goals has flavors of spice, orange citrus, melons, and apples. The texture is seductively soft, the aromas are floral and herbaceous. It’s a natural wine from vines farmed organically and biodynamically. The Chard and Chenin are picked by hand, fermented with native yeasts, and treated with minimal sulfur. It’s extremely effective paired with a plate of winding down after work. – Chung Park, Astor Wines & Spirits Consultant
Presqu’ile Winery, Chardonnay, Santa Barbara County – 2023 $21.99
Calling a California wine Burgundian in style is to wade into treacherous waters. There is only one Burgundy, after all. But when Dieter Cronje began as winemaker for Presqu’ile, his inspiration was indeed the Côte-d’Or (Dom Dujac to be precise). In California, the sun is awfully hard to avoid, but Santa Maria Valley runs perpendicular to the Pacific, resulting in a cool climate from the fog that rolls in off the ocean.The result is a wine that’s bright and fresh, with medium weight and notes of lemon curd, wet stone, and a hint of oak from spending 11 months in barrel (25% neutral French barriques /75% Austrian casks). It may have California roots, but the nod toward France is unmistakable. – Amy Miller, Sales Manager
Swick, The Flood White – 2022 $26.96
Joe Swick’s Flood is a perennial favorite of ours. We always look forward to the new vintage’s arrival and now the 22 is here. Swick is a low-intervention winemaker who sources grapes from organic vineyards in Washington and Oregon. He is masterfully skilled at blending. The Flood blends 7 varietals, each grown in their own single vineyard, and are vinified separately. They are macerated on their skins for 30 days and aged in old barrels. They are then blended and bottled. This year’s vintage leans toward a deeper and more intense than last year’s vintage. It is styled more like a Georgian wine with its amber hue and earthy aromatics. I found flavors of pineapple, tea, pine, and lavender. Give this baby plenty of time to open up. I found that it was most expressive on the fourth day. Delicious with a beefy washed rind cheese. – Chung Park, Astor Wines & Spirits Consultant
Chablis, Dom. des Genèves – 2022 $29.96
Looking for your old standby Domaine Miles Chablis? Dom. de Genèves is a fine substitute and I actually liked it a how lot better. Here the stainless steel aging locks in a wonder aromatic nose with everything I love about cool climate whites. Crisp and light, but with strength and structure that is the magic that makes Chablis something more than just another Chardonnay. All of that is evident in this Dom. de Genèves Chablis, tart mineral lemons give way to green apples and stone fruit. The finish is dry and smooth and makes me want to go back from more. – Josh Mizrahi, Sales Manager
Chablis, Gilbert Picq – 2023 $34.96
In the tiny, quiet village of Chichée, just southeast of Chablis itself, the Picq family have farmed their small collection of vines for several generations. Today Domaine Gilbert Picq is maintained by his children Didier, Pascal and Marilyn, who continue to produce Chardonnay in a style that is always classically fresh, harmoniously balanced and truly riveting. This Estate label is a collection of limestone and clay hillside vineyards averaging 20 years age. The vines are farmed sustainably and the grapes are hand harvested. Vinification takes place in stainless steel using natural yeasts. This youthful wine shows a bright and racy acidity, complemented by notes of earthy pear skin and dried green apple. While there is no oak used, the structure of this wine is impeccable. – Evan Cucciniello, Astor Wines & Spirits Consultant