Single vineyard Russian River Chardonnay made by a master at $17 a pop? Excuse me? Let’s rewind a bit since registering that notion requires a wild imagination. Our curator Agent Noir met the brilliant minds behind Bluxome Street Winery in its heyday when they were hosting revered tastings for La Paulée® San Francisco Burgundy Festival and In Pursuit of Balance® Association a few years back. This impressive, well-heeled urban winemaking mecca doubled as the ultimate popular event venue with the vibrant city scene. For their own limited production wines, they chose to work with Webster Marquez, the ultimate winemaker and genius partner at Anthill Farms, whose wines have a cult following. This is your chance to experience what Antonio Galloni describes as; “the magic touch when it comes to Chardonnay” at a fraction of what mailing list members pay!

Brilliant sheer gold with glimmers of silver twirling over pallid inflections of hay. Citrus rich with Sumo mandarin, white peach, sweet corn, honeydew, and spice all come forward on the pretty nose. The palate turns focused and lively with juicy acidity, floral pastille, and fresh almond hints. Very long and gentle on the build-up to the finish, echoing Meyer lemon and stone fruits with a youthful vibe. Think pan-seared scallops with a shallot white wine reduction sauce and capers for the perfect pairing or expand that theme to other shellfish and white fishes.

While there is no mainstream press coverage for this vintage, it’s worth noting that a previous release of this very same Chardonnay scored 94 points with PinotFile. Bluxome also scored very well with Stephen Tanzer of Vinous, who reported; “Web Marquez, who is part of the three-man team at Anthill Farms and the winemaker here, showed me these wines for the first time during my annual trek across the North Coast. The winery is located in San Francisco’s SOMA (South of Market) district, one of that city’s most dynamic neighborhoods; before the 1906 earthquake, it was home to more than 70 wineries. As might be expected, the wines show the light touch and spiciness familiar to fans of Anthill Farms, at prices that are definitely user-friendly. In the case of Bluxome Street, most of the fruit is sourced from the Russian River Valley, while Anthill has always leaned more heavily on vineyards in the Sonoma Coast and Anderson Valley.”