Jeff - Wine Specialist, Sherman Oaks
Toyon Farm is on the "Napa side" of Carneros, yielding distinctly different wines than the Sonoma side of the same region. The grapes here bear the prestigious distinction of being clones from Burgundy, France—specifically from Louis Latour's Corton-Charlemagne vineyard (a Grand Cru Burgundy that typically sells for over $350, for reference).
Ancien's Toyon Farm Chardonnay is a substantial and complex wine. In contrast to the fresh and lively character of Ken's Carmel offering, the Toyon Farm Chard is big and minerally. It undergoes full "ML" (malolactic fermentation), yet it is absolutely not a butter bomb of any kind, delivering beautiful notes of stone fruit, honeydew, and citrus.
The wine is aged entirely in French oak—one-third of which is new—which is clearly identifiable and serves to support and enrich the wine. Beautifully, there is plenty of mineral acidity to excite the palate and keep the wine from occurring as too heavy.
Pair with rich seafood (think Lobster with drawn butter, crab cakes, or pan-roasted halibut), roasted poultry and pork in cream sauce, medium cheeses, and creamy pasta, like butternut ravioli or mushroom risotto.
Ancien Toyon Farm Chardonnay is a stunning wine
