It was 68 degrees on a May afternoon. For most of you, so what, right? In our coastal town of Pacific Grove, it was one of the very few days of the year when it was warm enough to sit on our front porch, which never sees the light of day or warmth of the sun. Our new isolation/Shelter-in-Place thing to do is for all of us – including our dogs – to enjoy a warm afternoon on the front porch, sunk into an old, comfy, rattan couch. On this day, we played my husband’s favorite isolation game – Guess the Wine.
He brought us each a glass of pale yellow, very chilled wine. My first guess was a Sauvignon Blanc, but there was way too much pineapple. Chardonnay was my second guess. Monterey County was a safe bet, but he wasn’t sure. I wracked my brain trying to think of whose Chardonnay we had in our house. Nope. Do they have a tasting room in Carmel Valley Village? Yes, but we don’t go there often. Hm…finally I start listing the tasting rooms we visit in order of geography…and finally hit upon Rexford.
We are moving into the Santa Lucia Highland (SLH) AVA, where some of the best Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in the county is grown at some of the county’s most famous vineyards. You can feel the power and see the beauty of SLH while driving down the River Road Wine Trail. “SLH” on a label to me means a wine of distinction. You would expect me to be presenting a Hahn, a Talbot, a Boekenoogen, or something from one of our renowned SLH wineries. But, since I am presenting you wines we have consumed while Sheltering-in-Place by AVA, I am bringing you a Rexford.
The Rexford Winery was founded in 2008. It is known for its single-vineyard Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Merlot, and other premium varieties. This wine comes from the northern part of the SLH AVA. Pretty sure we drove right by this vineyard on our April River Road trip. We got to know Rexford from our many visits to the former White Oak Shopping Center, now home to some of our favorite wineries (we’ve already mentioned Parsonage, Chesebro, and I. Brand in this blog). The Rexford tasting room is closed.
2015 Rexford Winery Chardonnay, Escolle Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands AVA, 14.7% ABV, $30 (#49*)
Winemaker’s Notes: The grapes were crushed and destemmed, then pressed immediately. Barrel fermented and aged sur lie. “This wine was fermented and aged in French oak barrels then bottled without fining or filtration. It is a rich, full-bodied Chardonnay with an excellent balance of fruit and acidity. In the aroma are hints of oak and tropical fruits and in the taste flavors of citrus and melon.” Only 98 cases were produced and it sold out quickly.
My Review: Light on color, brilliant pineapple on the nose and palate, with a touch of butter. This higher alcohol Chardonnay is perhaps the biggest, most flavorful one I have ever tasted – just bursting with flavor. It was refreshing after a long hike and was greatly enjoyed on our front porch on such a warm day. I would buy this again. May 2020
Check out Rexford here – their prices are mostly $30-35 per bottle and they are currently (as of 9/11/2020) offering free shipping with the purchase of 3 or more bottles. Crazy good, eh?
*Refers to wines tasted while Sheltering in Place on Sharon’s personal Facebook group “Sharon’s Central Coast (Monterey) Wine Blog” – including non-Central Coast wines.
© Decanting Monterey 2020
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