While many California Chardonnay makers profess to make a crisper style of Chardonnay, few really do it. Complant Chardonnay, a new winery owned, run and made by the Baron family, hits the mark. Son Sam Baron takes charge of the Chardonnay. From “Linda Vista Vineyard,” a north Napa vineyard owned and farmed by Steve Matthiasson. The wine walks a tightrope of achieving ripeness at 12.13% alcohol. It’s ripe enough for me as it shows ripe lemon, tangy green apples, quince and green-stemmed banana fruit flavors along with honeycomb, biscuit and plain Greek yogurt flavors. This is tangy and bright (neither tart nor sour). It’s a fine line to walk, and tricky. Well done.
I tasted the Complant Chardonnay at Yountville’s Lincoln Theater during a performance by Diavolo at Festival Napa Valley show. It’s unusual to discover intriguing, tasty wines in such venues. Was pleased to stumble upon it, especially since I’ve known and appreciated the work of Sam Baron since he graduated from UC Davis in 2012. Read about Complant and Dan & Sam Baron here.
