2023 Talley - Chardonnay Estate San Luis Obispo (750ml)

Talley Vineyards is a family-owned California estate whose roots trace back to 1948, when Oliver Talley began growing vegetables in the Arroyo Grande Valley. His son Don, and later grandson Brian, gradually shifted the family's focus to wine, planting the first vines in 1982 and releasing their debut vintage in 1986. Now in its fourth generation, the family farms sustainably across six estate vineyards spanning the Arroyo Grande and Edna Valleys, an area now recognized under the broader San Luis Obispo Coast appellation, with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir remaining the estate's central focus.

This bottling blends fruit from several of Talley's signature sites, drawing primarily on Rosemary's Vineyard, which overlooks the Pacific, along with Rincon and Oliver's Vineyard, named for the family's vegetable-farming patriarch. The 2023 growing season opened with an unusually wet winter, and the resulting cool, saturated soils produced generous yields with an approachable, charming character. Grapes were whole cluster pressed and fermented with native yeasts in French oak, a portion of it new, then aged in barrel for roughly eleven months before finishing several more months in tank, completing malolactic fermentation along the way.

The wine offers aromas of Honeycrisp apple, white peach, and melon, with a whisper of pine leading into flavors of Granny Smith apple and wet slate. The palate stays fresh and bright, closing on a juicy, energetic finish with a light mineral edge. It suits roast salmon, grilled shrimp skewers, or a creamy goat cheese tart.