Going to the wine shop can be an overwhelming experience.  With so many countries making wine and so many different labels with crazy names, most people tend to gravitate to what they are most familiar with.  This is understandable, I mean Germany isn't doing themselves any favors with some of the words that are on their labels.

However, some places in the United States do not make it very easy either and today I am featuring one of those wines.  Donnachadh Vineyards is pronounced DON-nuh-kuh.  It is the old Scottish way of writing the owners last name, Duncan.  As sweet as this is, it does make it a little daunting for the everyday wine drinker.  The typical consumer likes easy to pronounce names like Apothic, or Caymus or better yet, Butter!  However, none of those wines can even come close to the amazing quality of the wines made by Donnachadh Vineyards.  

This family-owned winery was inspired by the wines of Burgundy and Rhone Valley which is why they only grow Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah and Gamay.  They focus on these grapes, and they do them exceptionally well.  All their wines are organically grown and are all very limited in quantities!

I tasted their wines last week and the Chardonnay really blew me away.  This is truly a Burgundian style Chardonnay.  If you blind tasted me on this, I think I would have said it was from Burgundy.  The elegance and finesse were outstanding.  The bright apple and pear fruit dance of the palate with wonderful acidity leaving you wanting more.  The oak and butter are so well integrated that they do not overpower the wine.  This is not your typical California butter-bomb Chardonnay.

This also got great scores from the wine critics.  Wine Advocate gave it 94-points and Wine Enthusiast gave it 93-points.  For a Chardonnay coming in under $30, this is a steal compared to the white burgundies it can be compared to.  Most of those would easily fetch over $50 a bottle.  Also, not only is the wine in the bottle beautiful, but the art on the label is gorgeous as well!  The only issue is that there is not much available.  There are less than 800 cases of this wine produced.  That may sound like a lot, but if you consider that is for the entire country, or even world, that is not much to go around.

So, the next time you are shopping at the wine store, try and not get put off by a name that you cannot pronounce.  Just because it is daunting on the outside, doesn't mean the inside won't blow you away.  Since it will be hard to find anywhere else, you might as well grab some of this Chardonnay while we have it because it won't be around forever!

Donnachadh Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay 2021

-Patrick Mulrooney