Oooweee!

Talk about a wicked good price on a supremely fresh, eye-poppingly complex white. Today’s deal is a straight-up must-have for serious Chardonnay lovers.

Heintz Vineyard Chardonnay, for does double take yup, $15… absolutely unheard of. Go ahead, type “Heintz Chardonnay” into Google and see what pops up.

The price is even crazier when you consider this fabled location was called “one of the great Grand Cru Chardonnay sites in California” by Robert Parker. The Heintz family has been farming for 100+ years and planted Chardonnay vines in 1982. Heavyweight producers like Williams Selyem, DuMOL, Littorai, Ceritas all source from this treasured location. Add to that list Von Holt, a minuscule husband and wife project started by Chris and Pam Von Holt who set out with the singular aim to make small lots of cool-climate, minimal-intervention wines.

The 30+-year-old vines grown at 1,000 feet elevation near the Sonoma coastline deliver incredible complexity and precision, with focused layers of lemon meringue, toasted hazelnuts, and a tickle of crème brûlée, all bright and brimming with zippy acidity and white flower notes. A joy to drink, and it tastes like something priced MUCH, MUCH higher. Would pair effortlessly with poached scallops, clambake, buttery lobster tails, bacon-wrapped prawns, you get the drift…

As far as reviews and ratings, the wine press boasts about Von Holt releases that they can get their hands on, but seem to skip a vintage here and there is not much wines made to begin with. The 2015 vintage of this was the last one Wine Enthusiast rated, earning 93 points, and a raving review: “This wine has a depth of flavor and length that’s rewarding within a richly balanced, focused and tightly textured ring of acidity. There’s an imprint of lemon oil that’s slightly viscous and completely compelling on the palate.”

The consistency of that note with our impression of this 2017 is mindbogglingly spot on.

Serious bang for your buck going on here.

It’s been a while since we had a dead serious Chardonnay flashing this much value. Stock up!