Drake Estate Chardonnay, Williams Selyem 2023 75cl

Williams Selyem barely need an introduction among Californian Pinot lovers, but their Chardonnay deserves just as much attention. The Drake Estate 2023 is a single-vineyard bottling from a producer that built its cult reputation on precision and restraint.

Williams Selyem farm and source in Sonoma's Russian River Valley, a cooler, fog-influenced corner of California ideally suited to Chardonnay. The Drake Estate vineyard gives fruit of real tension, and the house style favours balance and site expression over the blowsy, oak-heavy Chardonnay of Californian cliché.

The 2023 pours a bright, gleaming gold and offers lemon curd, white peach, green apple and Meyer lemon, framed by subtle toasted hazelnut, a touch of crème fraîche and a chalky mineral thread. Barrel work and lees ageing lend a creamy weight, but bright acidity keeps everything taut and long. This is Chardonnay with poise: rich yet precise, generous yet cool-climate fresh.

At £129.99 this is a special-occasion white for those who love serious, terroir-driven Chardonnay from the New World. Drinking well now, it will gain further complexity over three to five years.

How to Serve

Serve at 11-13°C in large Burgundy stems. A short decant of 20-30 minutes helps it open.

Where to Drink It

Noble Rot for its adventurous white list. Kitchen Table for a tasting-menu match. Cornerstone in Hackney for refined seafood cooking.

Food Pairings

Gorgeous with roast chicken and buttery mash, or grilled lobster with drawn butter.