2022 Tondré Grapefield Chardonnay
Santa Lucia Highlands AVA
Tasting Notes
“Pale straw hue. Aromas of passionfruit, apricot chutney, honey, apple pie, and white peach make for an enchanting start to this Chardonnay. Upon taste, flavors concentrate toward white peach. The texture is dynamic and rich that segues to a persistent and dense finish. Enjoy now through 2033.”
~Bill Brosseau, Director of Winemaking
July 2024
“Clean and direct aromas of lemon glaze, melon rind and an intriguing minerality show on the nose of this single-vineyard expression. There’s a leathery grip to the palate, where rounded lemon and apple slice flavors make for a lively sip.”
Matt Kettmann
Wine Enthusiast
October 2024
Production Data
Growers: Joe and Penny Alarid
Winemaker: Bill Brosseau
Appellation: Santa Lucia Highlands AVA
Elevation/Exposure: 400 feet; East/Northeast
Soil: Sandy, gravelly loam
Vineyard Age: 15 years
Viticulture Practice: Sustainable (SIP Certified)
Vinification: Pressed Whole-cluster, fermented in French Oak
Cooperage & Ageing: 19 months in French oak, 40% new
Production: 14 barrels
Composition: 100% Chardonnay (100% Clone 76)
Acidity: 3.08 pH, 8.22 TA (g/L)
Alcohol: 14.3%
Harvest: August 24, 2022, hand harvested
Club Release: August 2024
Release Price: $57
Drink Now through 2033
Past Vintage Wine Scores
“The 2021 Chardonnay Tondré Grapefield is a wine of real density and power. Apricots, pears, white flowers and citrus oil fill out the layers. Its mid-palate richness and intensity distinguish the 2021. There’s more than enough brightness and overall verve to balance some slightly more overt leanings here.”
Antonio Galloni
Vinous
November 2023
“Rich aromas of baked lemon curd, butterscotch, yellow cake and sandalwood make for a dynamic nose on this bottling. There’s a compelling edge of grapefruit peel and Meyer lemon on the sip, where toasty nut flavors reign.”
Matt Kettmann
Wine Enthusiast
February 2023
“The 2021 Tondre Grapefield Chardonnay waltzes out with alluring notes of spice cake, apple butter, and honey-drizzled peaches plus hints of nutmeg and honeycomb. The medium-bodied palate is light on its feet and refreshing, with a lively line and impressive length.”
Lisa Perrotti-Brown, MW
The Wine Independent
February 2024
“Tondré Grapefield vineyard lies just south of Gary’s Vineyard and Soberanes Vineyard, with the chardonnay vines here now fourteen years of age. The clones are all Dijon and the soils are gravelly loam. The wine is entirely barrel-fermented (like all of these Testarossa chardonnays) and aged in forty percent new oak for just under a year prior to bottling. The 2021 version comes in at 14.3 percent alcohol and offers up a complex bouquet of apple, nectarine, salty soil tones, orange peel, a touch of bergamot, spring flowers and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is vibrant, full-bodied, focused and more open in personality than the Soberanes Vineyard 2021, with superb depth at the core, lovely soil inflection, zesty acids and fine balance and grip on the long and complex finish. This is excellent chardonnay. (Drink between 2023-2038).”
John Gilman
View From the Cellar
March/April 2023
“Bright, smooth, classic, fruit-driven, pure and balanced.”
Anthony Dias Blue
March 2022
“Its fresh aromas may be a little laid back as far as heady ripeness and full-on richness go, but they do offer a good look at fairly concise, lightly lemony, green apple fruit that is reiterated with confidence in the deeper, very vital flavors that ensue. A very well-balanced, medium-full-bodied offering that settles comfortably in a place mid-point between mouthfilling and lean, it shows a nice edge of tailored crispness without being so tangy or tart as to limit its place at the table and is a versatile Chardonnay that will accompany a wide range of entrees running from fleshy fish dishes to shellfish and poultry, especially those napped in creamy or buttery sauces.”
Connoisseurs’ Guide to California Wine
May 2022
“Lush and deep with smooth, generous flavors of citrus and stone fruits, ripe yellow peach, balanced and classic.”
Anthony Dias Blue
February 2021
“Vivid yellow. Mineral-accented nectarine, Meyer lemon and pungent flowers on the perfumed nose. Supple and energetic in the mouth, offering concentrated pit and citrus fruit flavors that are complemented by fennel, sweet butter and vanilla flouishes. Shows very good depth as well as nerviness and finishes spicy and long, with resonating citrus fruit and floral notes. 39% new French oak.”
Josh Raynols
Antonio Galloni’s Vinous
“Impressive for its concentration as well as its striking richness and fruity depth, this far-reaching effort moves up further in rank for its sense of fine crafting and extra polish. It is, in short, a serious, extremely well-made Chardonnay that is as well-proportioned as it is decidedly generous, and all of its parts, from its intense fruit and sweet oak to its integral acidity, come together in a seamlessly combined whole. Though we like it now, we predict that we will like it even more later, and it is an eminently collectable wine well-deserving of a special place in the cellar.”
Connoisseurs’ Guide to California Wine
November 2020
“Vivid yellow. Intense, mineral- and spice accented citrus and orchard fruit qualities on the nose, along with hints of buttered toast and honeysuckle. Lush and creamy but focused as well, offering concentrated pear, Meyer lemon and honeydew flavors and a touch of vanilla. Turns firmer on the incisive finish, which repeats the pear and spice notes and leaves a hint of chamomile behind. ”
Josh Raynolds
Antonio Galloni’s Vinous
October 2020
“This is a rich style of Chardonnay, full of buttercream on the nose, but also vibrant, with lime balm aromas. The palate’s chalky grip warms up toward toasty, buttery flavors, layered with apple pastry and sea salt elements.”
Matt Kettmann
Wine Enthusiast
November 2019
“Brilliant straw-yellow. An expressive bouquet evokes tangerine pear nectar jasmine and toasty lees while a dusty mineral nuance adds urgency. Potent orchard fruit and citrus pith flavors show very good definition and pick up a deeper nectarine element with aeration. Smoothly combines power and energy and closes very long and taut displaying vibrant mineral and honeysuckle qualities.”
Josh Raynolds
Antonio Galloni’s Vinous
“The 2015 Chardonnay Tondre Grapefield Vineyard delivers lemon curd, grapefruit and peach blossom notes with suggestions of baker’s yeast, orange blossoms and chalk dust. Medium-bodied, it has a great core of citrus fruit intensity and mineral layers, providing wonderful energy and verve, finishing long and zingy.”
Lisa Perrotti-Brown
Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
September 2017
“Lastly, the 2014 Tondre Grapefield Chardonnay is another rich, textured, even sexy, white that has a broad, expansive, medium to full-bodied style as well as superb notes of ripe orchard fruits, caramelized pineapple, spice and integrated oak. Possessing impressive purity, moderate acidity and a decadent style, I wouldn’t push the aging curve and would drink bottles over the coming 2-4 years.”
Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
The Tondre Grapefield
Originally planted in 1997, the Tondre Grapefield is growing in popularity and recognition as well. Testarossa Winery has been making Tondre Grapefield Pinot Noir since 2012 and Chardonnay since 2014. Tondre is located directly in the center of the Santa Lucia Highlands just to the south of Soberanes and Garys’ Vineyards. Joe Alarid and his team hand-care for each vine where they have multiple clones planted within the 80 acres of Pinot Noir and 21 acres of Chardonnay.