Chardonnay Reviews
Oded Cohen, Oded's Wine Reviews, February 16, 2025
Elegant, rich and tasty
2021 Chardonnay
https://winesipping.wordpress.com/2025/02/16/smith-madrone-vineyards-spring-mountain-district-chardonnay-2021-napa-valley-california/Light yellow in color with a golden hue. Strong nose of yellow apples, light cedar, fresh apricots, light toasted nuts and spices. Medium plus in body with medium plus acidity. Dry on the palate with limes, apples, grapefruits, bitter herbs, light earth, honey, spices and white pepper. Long finish with lemons and light herbs. This young Chardonnay from Napa Valley is drinking beautifully right out of the bottle. Elegant, rich and tasty. Nicely balanced and fruit forward. Juicy and entertaining, with light oak notes to compliment the fruits. Spicy and refreshing. Complex and engaging, and better when not too cold. I have had a few vintages of this wine, and it always delivers. This vintage seems to be much more approachable young. Will continue to age nicely in the next 7 years. Good by itself or with food. I paired it with a beautiful day by the pool.
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Cameron Kossen, February 6, 2025
Well balanced
2021 Chardonnay
https://www.instagram.com/p/DFl2EkLyTG8/One of my favorite AVAs in Napa is Spring Mountain. The cooler temps and elevation on the west side of St. Helena above the Valley produce some more nuanced wines. 2021 was an excellent vintage with a long and even growing season. Smith-Madrone produces some great wines: volcanic, well draining soils between 1,300-2,000 feet in elevation. This Chardonnay was very nice and well balanced. Flavors of orange blossoms, shaved almond, nectarine, ginger, lemon curd and pie crust. Aged 10 months in 50% new French oak. A touch of minerality and a nice level of acidity. This vintage tastes great now and will evolve for at least another 5-7 years.
Michael Kelly, CaliforniaWinesandWineries, February 1, 2025
Crisp, lively and well-balanced
2021 Chardonnay
https://californiawinesandwineries.com/2025/02/01/2021-smith-madrone-vineyards-chardonnay/This is the fourth vintage of Smith-Madrone Chardonnay I have had the opportunity to taste and all have been exquisite. WARNING: if you are a buttery or light Chardonnay wine lover, stop and don’t read this story. However, if you are looking for a bold, layered and scrumptious Chardonnay this is a must read.
This wine being dry farmed, has enough minerality to please a miner during the California Gold Rush! First upon opening the wine, a bouquet of springtime flowers immediately sprang forth almost overwhelming the senses. That typically does not happen! On the eyes, while possessing a light straw or golden coloring and medium body viscosity, something is “different”. Next on the nose, jasmine and honeysuckle aromas abounded. On the palate, minerality and fresh rain on granite stones come bursting to the forefront along with white stone fruits of nectarine and peach. The acidity was pronounced, pointed and clearly targeted for specific food pairings. The finish was crisp, lively and an is extremely dry and well-balanced Chardonnay. A tinge of lemon zest completed the tasting. This Chardonnay was a gem of a find.
The wine is from Spring Mountain, barrel fermented for 10 months in 50% new French oak. It comes in at 14% alcohol. Only 1,001 cases were produced, and it goes for $45/bottle. The wine was just released in January 2025. Again, this will make my annual list of Best Tasted Wines during the year 2025.
The 2021 Smith-Madrone Chardonnay was selected for this meal with its acidity and citrus notes. The dinner was a blackened Swordfish steak. I picked up the fish in the morning at Ohana Seafood in Modesto and looked up various recipes on spices to be used. Choose the ingredients of garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, oregano, basil, thyme cayenne pepper, sea salt, and black pepper. Served with long and short grain rice and plated with pineapple slices. Topped off with minced pineapple salsa, with minced fresh oregano. Sprigs of Thyme were also added on the side. The light citrus and fruit worked wonderfully with the blackened Swordfish. One of the best food and wine pairings in recent memory.
Believe that this wine would be excellent with fresh oysters, seafood, light sauce chicken and sashimi or sushi.
Planet Grape, Catherine Fallis, January 29, 2025
Exquisitely balanced
2021 Chardonnay
https://planetgrapewinereview.com/newworldwine_reviews/2021-smith-madrone-chardonnay-spring-mountain-district-napa-valley/Full, creamy, exquisitely balanced and dry with notes of peach tart, brioche, toasted almond and musk.
Jeff Kralik, The Drunken Cyclist, January 2024
Outstanding
2018 Chardonnay
https://thedrunkencyclist.com/2024/01/24/i-finally-made-it-up-to-smith-madrone/Outstanding. Hillside fruit. 100% malolactic fermentation. Barrel fermented. Batonage. According to Charlie: “Everything we do does not move the needle much, but just enough.” Gorgeous fruit on the nose with tropical fruit, white flower, and almond paste predominate. The palate is quite tart, with fruit at the forefront, hints of oak, and a subtle creaminess that defines Smith-Madrone.
Owen Bargreen, January 17, 2025
Palate is rich and viscous with serious nerve
2021 Chardonnay
https://owenbargreen.com/blog/2025/1/17/smith-madroneThis was sourced from their estate on Spring Mountain set on Aiken Stoney Clay loam. Aged for 10 months in 50% new French oak, this offers butterscotch and pie crust on the nose alongside shades of Japanese pear. The palate is rich and viscous with serious nerve. Lemon curd, shortbread and shades of papaya all meld together on the palate. This is a stunning edition of this wine that is drinking marvelously right now. Drink 2025-2032.
Purely Domestic Wine Report, Doug Wilder, December 2024, Issue 11.1
Penetrating acidity
2019 Chardonnay
http://www.purelydomesticwinereport.com/The color is fresh and vibrant gold with a nose of fresh hay, pear, saline and nutmeg. The palate entry is sweet pear, lemon with a core of chamomile and stony-textured mineral finishing with penetrating acidity. Drink 2024-2034.
Gwendolyn Alley, Wine Predator, December 18, 2024
Mouthwatering acidity
2018 Chardonnay
https://winepredator.com/2024/12/18/enrich-your-holidays-with-napa-wines-part-1-chardonnay-from-flora-springs-frogs-leap-smith-madrone-sequoia-grove/Appearance: deep gold, sunshine gold, pale rim. Aroma: Bee pollen, fennel pollen, savory, chamise, sage, fennel frond, sandstone. Palate: Mouthwatering acidity, concentrated fruit, tart lemon, fresh pineapple, green apple, chamomile, so much freshness for a 2018, toasted bread, pine resin. Pairing: Very nice with the baked brie on fresh warm bread, Very nice with the Caesar salad, the fresh greens are so sweet and the wine is highlighted by the fresh garlic, the crackers were amazing with this wine, so fantastic with the buttery richness cracked pepper and rich salty parmesan cheese, absolutely a perfect pairing. We would have been happy with the wine and a plate of crackers, the wine likes the creamy richness of the risotto, however the squash is a bit too sweet and make the wine a bit tart, great with the shrimp bisque, bot the wine and the soup just popped while lingering together in the glass. Favorite pairing of the night with this wine was the shrimp bisque and the Parmesan crackers.
Gwendolyn Alley, Wine Predator, December 18, 2024
Lots of character
2019 Chardonnay
https://winepredator.com/2024/12/18/enrich-your-holidays-with-napa-wines-part-1-chardonnay-from-flora-springs-frogs-leap-smith-madrone-sequoia-grove/Appearance: yellow gold, lemon, pale straw. Aroma: Lots of character on the nose, lemon, lemons and herbs, sage, thyme, bright acidity, hint of smoke, lemon chicken on the grill, grilled Meyer lemon, clean minerals on the finish. Palate: Nicely rich, butterscotch, grilled Meyer lemon, sage, very expressive, great acidity, grilled pineapple, very nice wine. Pairing: Very nice with the Caesar salad and more than that fabulous with the crab, just the right richness and sweetness to dance perfectly with the wine, very good with the rich squash risotto, and very nice with the baked brie; it was perfect with the rich brie sweet honeycomb and the sprinkling of lavender. Favorite pairing was with the baked brie with fresh honey and lavender. Even with a decent amount of honey which you would think would be too sweet, it worked beautifully,
AdVinetures, Chris & Alison Wallace, December 11, 2024
Juicy acidity...so delicious....Excellent+
2019 Chardonnay
https://advinetures.ca/smith-madrone-vineyards-rooted-in-resilience/Bright gold in colour. Lovely aromas of orchard fruits and citrus notes. On the palate this shows a medium+ body that gives us good textural components; in fact hits just the right notes of viscosity for our palates. The texture is framed by juicy acidity and creates the sensations of fullness and linearity at the same time. Very intense flavours of apple and pear with a hint of honey. There is a slight nutty quality, elusive and hard to pin down, but evoking hazelnuts. The finish is long and juicy and tinged with citrus notes. So delicious! Excellent+ (USD$45 *terrific value for this quality level)
AmateurSommelier, Alec Termer, November 22, 2024
Well-balanced, crisp, refreshing
2019 Chardonnay
https://www.instagram.com/p/DCrhRWPRSX4/Crisp and refreshing, this Chardonnay has a bite! Definitely not like the overly oaked buttery Chardonnays, this one focuses more so on the natural character of the grapes themselves. The aroma is lively in the glass with lemon, tropical citrus, vanilla, toasted almond, white peach, some floral, and a little cream. The taste is crisp, full of bright lemon, tropical citrus, a little honey, almond, orange blossom, some slight toasted vanilla bean in the end, and some minerality. This is a bright, crisp, and refreshing Chardonnay. The acidity instantly opens up your taste buds, making you salivate and prepares you for the rest of the experience. The lemon is the central taste starting off the descent of flavors. The tropical fruits are secondary and remain slightly under the lemon. After the acidity starts to settle, you begin to get the softer floral and honey. Through the aftertaste, the almond and toasted vanilla start to emerge, never really taking hold as a main element of the tasting experience. So, in all a well-balanced Chardonnay that is crisp and refreshing, something to really highlight the quality of the fruit it is made from.
Ellen Landis, EllenOnWine, September 30, 2024
Well-crafted, impressive depth and complexity
2019 Chardonnay
https://ellenonwine.com/ellen-on-wine/tcn12mxtfrpbuklghsxczwrznqvkhe-7blkdThe exceptional fragrance of tree fruits and honeysuckle will have you hanging over the glass for a good while. Invigorating on the palate as layers of citrus-splashed Bosc pears, sauteed Golden Delicious apples, a thread of minerality, and subtle tinges of butterscotch meld seamlessly. This well-crafted Chardonnay boasts impressive depth and complexity. Finely managed oak sits perfectly in the background, while hints of ginger snaps add dimension through the extended finale.
Clive Pursehouse, Decanter Magazine, August 2024
This is one of the finest Napa wines in existence for $45
2019 Chardonnay
https://www.decanter.com/wine-reviews/usa/california/smith-madrone-chardonnay-napa-valley-spring-mountain-7418295 points: The Smith-Madrone Chardonnay over-delivers again with the 2019 bottling. This is one of the finest Napa wines in existence for $45. Rich, showy aromas of honeyed pear, candied ginger and a rich lemon cream eschew oak for purity of fruit. The palate is mouthwatering in its depth of flavour and flashes complexity and refinement. Rich lemon curd, beeswax and lanolin are accented against notes of nutmeg, cardamom pod and petrichor. It is gorgeous in its depth yet with ample elegance and finesse. A joyous wine that promises to develop further complexity with bottle age.
Stephen Bainbridge, ProfessorBainbridge.com, June 2023
Highly recommended
2019 Chardonnay
https://www.professorbainbridge.com/Another stellar wine from our friends at Smith-Madrone. Great match for a roast chicken with stuffing and honey glazed carrots. Apricot, pear, and lemon on the nose. Pear, lemon, kiwi on the palate. A distinct mineral note on both, somewhat reminiscent of a Chablis. Unlike most Napa Chardonnay, it will age. If I had a criticism, I'd like a pinch more new oak. But just a pinch. Highly recommended.
Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate, July 2024
A crisp spine of bright citrusy acids runs from front to back
2019 Chardonnay
https://www.robertparker.com/wines/E8nGzn5p8SMBEejhk/smith-madrone-chardonnay-201990 points: Barrel-fermented and aged nine months in 55% new French oak, the 2019 Chardonnay features scents of toasted hazelnut, baking spices and lemon curd. A crisp spine of bright, citrusy acids runs from front to back of the palate, lingering refreshingly on the finish.
Jim Gordon, JamesSuckling.com, July 2024
Full-bodied palate
2019 Chardonnay
Golden straw in appearance. Aromas of pineapple, beeswax and asparagus. The palate is full-bodied, displaying notes of preserved lemons, orange blossoms and flint complemented by a textured and creamy mouthfeel and firm acidity. Drink or hold.
Eve Bushman, Wine101, May 31, 2024
The finish went on and on
2019 Chardonnay
https://evewine101.com/2024/05/31/reviewing-the-new-releases-from-smith-madrone/Very bold gold color, with deeper gold edge. The nose was full of vanilla custard, honey, bruised Golden Delicious apple, bread yeast, cantaloupe melon, sawdust, and wet earth. The taste brought up memories for me of overripe pineapple, lemon tart, limeade, fleshy peach, and salted butter. The mouthfeel was both round and tangy, and the finish went on and on. I enjoyed this very much with a cheese and charcuterie board.
PullThatCork, Nancy Brazil, June 7, 2024
A gorgeous Chardonnay
2019 Chardonnay
https://pullthatcork.com/2024/smith-madrone-mountain-winemaking-at-its-best/Light golden with aromas of ripe pears and melons with hints of toast. Flavors include melons, pears, citrus and hints of sweet oak. The body is a bit round with fresh, juicy acidity and a very long finish. What a lovely, complex, vibrant Chardonnay. Yes, it is barrel-fermented and aged for nine months in 55% new French oak, but the oak is well integrated and doesn’t trample the complex flavors of the Chardonnay. In fact, that is one of the characteristics of Chardonnay grown on the mountainside according to Charlie— it stands up to oak aging. This is a gorgeous Chardonnay for a meal (or to sip while preparing a meal).
I have a thing for mountainside vineyards. Growing vines on the side of a mountain is definitely not the easiest place to grow them, but some of the most interesting and complex wines I’ve tasted are grown there. Smith-Madrone wines are both. They are also elegant, unexpected and affordable. Affordable and Napa Valley are sometimes mutually exclusive with regard to wine.
Stephen Bainbridge, ProfessorBainbridge.com, July 2023
Highly recommended
2018 Chardonnay
https://www.professorbainbridge.com/professorbainbridgecom/2023/07/smith-madrone-chardonnay-spring-mountain-district-2018.htmlAs longtime readers know, I'm a big fan of Smith-Madrone, which I think is one of the (what's the right word? small, boutique?) wineries in Napa. We've visited their facility on the top of Spring Mountain a couple of times and always enjoyed spending time with Charlie and Stu. We've drunk a lot of their wine over the years and have never had one that wasn't excellent. Their wines are usually drinkable on release but have the potential to age well. On top of which, they're very reasonably priced given the quality. As it approaches its fifth birthday, the 2018 is drinking really well. This is a very well balanced wine. Buttery oak/rich fruit/good acidity all play well together with none dominating. The color is a rich yellow-gold. On the nose and palate, one notices toast, vanilla, oak, Meyer lemon, and peach. I served it with pan-seared scallops and pea risotto, for which it was a great match. Highly recommended.
Purely Domestic Wine Report, Doug Wilder, January 2024
2018 Chardonnay
The nose is pristine toast, crème brûlée, Meyer lemon, penetrating pineapple and saline with a whiff of mint. The palate entry shows taut acidity leading to a graham cracker, citrus and marshmallow core finishing with pain grilleé and apricot. Drink 2023-2034.
Stephen McConnell, Wine1percent, February 29, 2024
The beauty of pure chard berry transferring through...the finish glorifies the perfection in Chardonnay...
2019 Chardonnay
https://www.instagram.com/p/C34Kuv7Lull/A CLASSIC California Chardonnay, seamless and packed with goodness from start to finish. A bit golden, a nose churning with tropical and earthy fruit nuances and showing definite signs of age here at merely 4. I’m not going to go down the *premox* road here, but the polish this wine shows hints at a *settling down* into almond-paste and–albeit gritty–decadence surprises this reviewer–considering the source. Oh don’t get me wrong: there’s a shock of acid and even tannin belieing any assumptions of short-lividness, but some of the essences seem a bit progressed. On the palate, the acid hits acrid points throughout, squashing any thoughts of dilapidation and age-worthiness. Green-bitter melds with buttery richness in a yin-yang seesaw exposing outliers at each range. Chalky and dry, the beauty of pure chard berry transferring through at each point of consideration. It’s not an easy wine to criticize, but it’s a painless wine to love. I guess what I’m trying to say is: blind, I would put this bottle at a few more years than the label decrees. The finish though. The finish glorifies the perfection in Chardonnay and why we love this variety–despite its wide range of styles across several continents. It’s not Chablis… I mean, we’ve been through this before. It’s straight-up California Chardonnay: there’s no denying the elegance and extravagance concentrated within. Spring Mountain strikes again.
Joe Campbell, The Wine Bulletin, October 27, 2022
Refreshing with bright acidity
2019 Chardonnay
https://winebulletin.net/smith-madrone-a-mountain-vintners-perspective/Light gold in color with flavors of lemon, pear and a touch of toast. Crisp, refreshing with bright acidity.
Jeff Kralik, The Drunken Cyclist, January 24, 2024
Boy is it delicious
2019 Chardonnay
https://thedrunkencyclist.com/2024/01/24/i-finally-made-it-up-to-smith-madrone/94 points: Responsible bottle. Under cork. Sample tasted in Houston. Certainly yellow and on its way to golden in the glass with boatloads of lemon curd and a bit of an herbal note (sweet basil) curiously on the nose. The palate is rich and luxurious (but short of being the dreaded cougar juice) with plenty of lemon creme pie balanced with an incredibly zingy tartness and more than a hint of oak. Sure, this is a bit of a throwback to the “classic California” Chardonnay style, but boy, is it delicious. Weighty but also lithe, big but also deft, tart but also round. What else could one want? Outstanding.
Obviously Wine Blog, Tanous El-Kareh
Tremendously satisfying wine
2018 Chardonnay
https://www.obviouslywine.com/blog/the-obviously-wine-blog-2023-tasting-reportA truly golden Chardonnay with high intensity of color and aroma. It has an aromatically diverse nose of ghee butter and movie theater popcorn that works in concert with the scents of bruised yellow apple and late harvest orchard fruits. The palate consists of notes of oak, beeswax, cooked sugar, toast and a leesy flavor profile that makes for a tremendously satisfying wine and is begging to be paired with food. This Chardonnay is as robust as it is complex and serves as a fine example of why Smith-Madrone has found success for over 50 years.
Food pairing:
Cave aged cheddar cheese, Red Leicester, 18-month-old Mimolette
Rosemary and thyme-roasted chicken with crispy skin
Lobster tail with herbed grass-fed butter
Spanish flan
A wine of very good quality that can be drunk now but shows potential for aging. This Chardonnay over delivers for the price.
BiggerThanYourHead, Fredric Koeppel, January 12, 2024
Exceptional and a great value.
2019 Chardonnay
https://biggerthanyourhead.substack.com/p/eight-excellent-white-wines-to-startRemarkable intensity and resonance, while remaining light, bright and appealing. Slightly brassy medium-gold hue; lemon oil and spiced pear, a notion of lightly baked pineapple and grapefruit, and a hint of crème brûlée; a few moments in the glass unfurl touches of jasmine and honeysuckle and insinuating notes of quince and crystallized ginger; the primary driver of the wine is the momentum toward exquisite, even risky balance among all elements; lip-smacking acidity poised with an ethereal texture, lovely citrus and stone fruit; the almost subliminal oak influence seamlessly coexisting with chiseled limestone and flint minerality; in all, a profoundly beautiful chardonnay that embodies and reflects all the advantages and exigencies of its mountain-side vines. Now through 2029 to ‘31. Exceptional. About $45, representing, for the quality and price, a Great Value.
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Smith-Madrone Vineyards & Winery
P.O. Box 451/ 4022 Spring Mountain Road, St. Helena, CA 94574
Telephone: 707.963.2283
