Wine Of The Week: 2021 La Crema Chardonnay Kelli Anne Vineyard

A stunning California Chardonnay from a powerhouse winery.

(Credit: La Crema)

La Crema is best known for excellent everyday wines—rich Chardonnays, aromatic Sauvignon Blancs, and juicy Pinot Noirs. But look beyond those entry-level offerings, and La Crema has a broad range of wines that show off specific areas of Sonoma Valley, Napa’s more coastal sister region. There’s covetable bottles like the Sara Lee Chardonnay, which is a nod to OG agriculture pioneer Saralee Kunde (and 60% of the land is left unplanted to preserve wildlife). La Crema is also aiming to be completely climate positive by 2050 (without purchasing offsets). 

This wine showcases Kelli Anne Vineyard, one of La Crema’s prizes on the banks of the Russian River. It gets bright sunny days and foggy mornings which produces crisp, bright Chardonnay. It’s sunny but icy, with delicate notes of white flowers and pear balanced out by a backbone of brioche. $55

Kate Dingwall is a WSET-trained sommelier and spirits writer. Her work has appeared in Wine Enthusiast, Eater, Forbes.com, and Food & Wine, and she pours wine at one of Canada’s top restaurants.

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