Wine legend Paul Hobbs is, perhaps, a man that needs no introduction, but that won’t stop us from telling you that his wines are some of our very favorites. We only wish that we had occasion to feature more of them, but his wines are in such demand that his best wines are hard to get ahold of. However, every now and then we work some spy magic to bring you instant classics like today’s very special Black Cordon Chardonnay. This is Russian River Chardonnay at its finest and we welcome you to partake of this very special wine - at a price too good to resist.

Superstar winemaker, Paul Hobbs (Forbes Magazine called him the Steve Jobs of Wine) was insistent upon making today’s Black Cordon Vineyards 2014 Laguna Road Vineyard Russian River Valley Chardonnay. His friend, Black Cordon proprietor David Dunphy asked for Paul’s help in selecting a winemaker. Paul said, “how about I make your wine?” - as so was born today’s delicious treat.

This Chardonnay is picture perfect like a ray of sunshine in your glass with excellent clarity. The nose contains an aromatic bouquet of caramelized apple, fresh pear, Palestinian lime, floral narcissus, and subtle coconut. The palate, on the other hand, reveals more stonefruit, with white peach and nectarine. It has a tropical twist of pineapple with notes of cinnamon and elderflower, a crowd-pleasing Chardonnay that straddles the line between lean-style and more buttery offerings: It’s got both crisp acidity and a round mouthfeel. You don’t need to be staying at the Waldorf Astoria to think that a Waldorf salad would be the perfect accompaniment to this wine.

The Russian River Valley AVA (American Viticultural Area) in Sonoma County is particularly is known for exceptional Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, but, with enough sunlight exposure to aid ripening, Zinfandel also grows quite well here. This AVA was officially designated in 1983, but many of the wines in the region used the designation as early as the 1970s (early in California’s wine history) with many of the vines having been first planted in the early 1900s. Chardonnay from this region is often characterized as being very flexible food pairing partners.