The 2021 Chardonnay Whitney's Vineyard impresses with its textural depth and intensity. Readers will find a rich, structured mountain Chardonnay. The 2021 is going to need at least a few years to come together. Today, it shows tons of promise. This is an especially fine vintage for the Whitney’s.

The 2020 Chardonnay Whitney's Vineyard is laced with hints of apricot, ginger, spice, tangerine peel, tropical fruit and a kick of sweet French oak. Deep and layered, with gorgeous creaminess, the 2020 is at once flamboyant, but also restrained by the mid-weight style of the vintage. Regardless, is a fine effort from Fisher.

The 2019 Chardonnay Whitney's Vineyard is fabulous. It captures the richer style of the year vis-à-vis 2018 while retaining all of its classic signatures of this site. Orchard fruit, candied lemon peel, white flowers and a touch of well-judged oak fill out the layers in this ample, mountain Chardonnay. The 2019 is a flat-out stunner.

A step up, the 2018 Chardonnay Whitney's Vineyard is brilliant stuff, offering a vibrant nose of honeyed stone fruits and lemon curd as well as subtle oak, some green almond, and white flower notes. Medium to full-bodied, I love its vibrant style as well as its richer, concentrated profile on the palate. It's going to keep for 4-6 years.

Opening with touches of flint and stone, the 2018 Chardonnay Whitney's Vineyard offers scents of tarragon, roasted almonds, apricot and floral touches. It’s medium-bodied and very silky in the mouth, with restrained, gently toasty flavors, finishing uplifted and fresh.

The 2018 Chardonnay Whitney's Vineyard is a little richer than the Mountain Estate, but it, too, is quite reticent relative to the norm. Lemon confit, marzipan, white flowers and mint all open in the glass. The mix of richness of Wente Clone Chardonnay and a cool season with an early November harvest makes for a wine full of contrasts.

Cut from the same cloth, the 2017 Chardonnay Whitney's Vineyard has a touch more vibrancy and purity. Stone fruits, crushed stone, lavender, honey, and white flower notes dominate the nose and it's another mineral-laced, chisel, concentrated Chardonnay. It's going to evolve for at least a decade.

The 2017 Chardonnay Whitney's Vineyard balances richness, power and vibrancy so beautifully. Orange peel, tangerine oil, mint, hazelnut and lemon confit infuse the Whitney's with tons of complexity and unctuous richness. The interplay of freshness and phenolic intensity is just captivating.

The 2017 Chardonnay Whitney's Vineyard has fragrant aromas of orange blossom, crushed almond, beeswax and pie spice with rocky notions over a core of warm apples and peaches. Medium to full-bodied, it offers great intensity of savory fruits, tangy acidity and a very long, spiced finish. 105 cases produced.

The 2016 Chardonnay Whitney's Vineyard is powerful and impressively constituted, with a real sense of phenolic structure that gives the wine its shape and overall feel. A wine of gravitas and intensity, the Whitney's shows the natural concentration and that comes from a high presence of hens and chicks (large and small berries) in the vineyard. This is such a gorgeous and deeply expressive Chardonnay.

The 2016 Chardonnay Whitney's Vineyard is cut from the same cloth and has powerful notes of caramelized orchard fruits, crushed lemon, quince, and crushed rocks, with just a touch of toasted notes and brioche. It's full-bodied, rounded, nicely textured, and balanced, with a touch of Meursault like richness and opulence. Despite its flamboyant character, it has good acidity and freshness, and is unquestionably a brilliant wine. This cuvée comes all from a site in Sonoma County, was barrel fermented, and spent 15 months in 40% new French oak.

The 2016 Chardonnay Whitney's Vineyard hits the ground running with vibrant pink grapefruit, green mango and ripe apricot scents plus suggestions of toasted almonds, croissant, fresh ginger and allspice. Medium to full-bodied, it ignites the palate with sparks of tropical and stone fruits, framed with racy acid and a silken texture, finishing very long and wonderfully layered. Simply. Awesome. 143 cases were made.

The 2015 Chardonnay Whitney's Vineyard is fabulous. Rich and unctuous in the glass, the 2015 exudes richness in every dimension in an ample, creamy style that captures the purest essence of this site beautifully. The decision to bottle the Whitney's Chardonnay with no filtration yielded a stark, transparent wine that speaks to the site. I loved it.

A rich, powerful wine, the 2014 Chardonnay Whitney's Vineyard shows the personality of the Wente clone on these hillside vineyards. Dried pear, hazelnut, chamomile, butter and dried flowers give the 2014 much of its creamy, layered personality. Oily, voluptuous and racy to the core, the 2014 boasts superb depth and overall intensity. This is a highly expressive Chardonnay built on power and structure.

Also impressive is the 2014 Chardonnay Whitney’s Vineyard which has plenty of honeysuckle, unbuttered popcorn, baked apple skins, white peach and poached pears. It is medium to full-bodied, round and juicy with good acidity and a lush, heady finish. Drink it over the next 4-5 years.

The 2013 Chardonnay Whitney's Vineyard captures all the intensity I sensed when I tasted it from barrel. Honey, almonds, candied orange peel, wild flowers and mint form a super-appealing tapestry of aromas, flavors and textures. The 2013 is quite rich and viscous on the palate, but not at all heavy. Over the last year, the 2013 has become more subtle than it was last year. This is a lovely Chardonnay from Fisher.

The 2013 Chardonnay Whitney’s Vineyard is terrific, and as with the other wines, it is made from an Old Wente selection. It offers up notes of white currants, quince, crushed rock, citrus oil and a touch of tangerine. It has great fruit, full body and a beautiful integration of acidity and wood. Moreover, it finishes with considerable authority. It should drink well for 5-7 years. This is my favorite of the four Chardonnays, although they are all outstanding.

The 2012 Chardonnay Whitney's Vineyard is rich, powerful and explosive to the core. This is a decidedly big, broad-shouldered wine built on serious depth. Dried pears, flowers and mint add complexity as the wine opens up in the glass. Here, too, there is a sense of real phenolic intensity that is impossible to miss.

The 2012 Chardonnay Whitney’s Vineyard shows loads of citrus oil, orange blossom, a touch of marmalade and wet rocks. It is medium to full-bodied, a very fresh, pure, and again like all of these Fisher Chardonnays, the oak is restrained and judiciously utilized. It should drink well for 3-4 years at minimum.

Butter, almonds, hazelnuts, tangerine and dried pears meld together in the 2011 Chardonnay Whitney's Vineyard. The style is rich, honeyed and beautifully textured, but at the same time, there is plenty of freshness and vibrancy in the glass. The style is intense, but at the same time, there is no sense of excess heaviness whatsoever.

Green-tinged gold. High-pitched, mineral-laced aromas of Meyer lemon, orange and green apple, with a hint of iodine emerging with air. Tighter and more precise than the Mountain Estate bottling, displaying greater emphasis on minerality and citrus fruits. Finishes stony and long, with resonating spiciness and excellent clarity. I also tasted the 2012 version of this bottling, which had not been bottled at the time of my visit, and found it to be just as mineral-driven as this wine but brawnier.

Vivid gold. Pungent, mineral- and smoke-accented aromas of poached pear, melon and peach pit, with a hint of iodine in the background. Rich but lively on the palate, offering incisive orchard and citrus fruit flavors and a suave floral quality. Picks up toasted nut and sweet butter nuances with air and finishes with excellent clarity, grip and mineral-driven persistence. Reminds me a lot of a ripe-year Meursault, and built to age.

A less overt wine than the Mountain Estate, the 2010 Chardonnay Whitney's Vineyard stands out for its linearity and focus. Lemon oil, citrus, white flowers and dried apricots all add complexity in this impeccable Chardonnay. The 2010 is all about finesse.

Pale gold. Mineral-accented aromas of lemon curd, apple and fig, with spice and iodine accents and a hint of smokiness. Juicy, sharply focused yet seamless citrus and orchard fruit flavors are complemented by deeper-pitched notes of vanilla and honey. Finishes dry and very long, with resonating minerality and a hint of licorice.

Bright gold. Musky, intensely perfumed nose offers lime, lemongrass, smoky lees and herbs. Then big, round and supple in the mouth, with complex notes of citrus pith, candied ginger, minerals and anise. A very smooth, densely packed chardonnay that finishes with very good persistence and lingering spiciness.

The 2009 Chardonnay Whitney's Vineyard is gorgeous. There is plenty of intensity and finesse, but the 2009 is really about understated elegance. Layers of fruit caress the palate in the textured, mineral-infused finish. This is a fabulous effort.

Bright gold. Sexy aromas of peach, dried apricot, honeydew and smoky oak spices. Tactile and very nuanced, with deep but energetic melon and pit fruit flavors complemented by candied ginger and vanilla. The smooth, broad finish clings with very good tenacity, repeating the ginger note.

The 2008 Chardonnay Whitney's Vineyard is richer, rounder and deeper than the Mountain Estate but the style and flavor profile are quite similar. The Whitney's also underwent full malolactic fermentation.

Yellow-gold. Deep pit fruit and tangerine aromas are complicated by toasty lees and baking spices. Weighty yellow plum and dried pear flavors gain energy with air and pick up a refreshingly bitter lemon pith quality. The finish repeats the smoke, mineral and leesy notes and clings impressively. Projects more power than the Mountain Estate bottling as well as more complexity.

(from a vineyard at 1,200 feet, planted in 1975) Pale yellow-gold. Reticent but pure nose suggests orange zest, spices, minerals and fresh herbs. Subdued and rather delicate on the palate, offering flavors of dusty stone, talc and orchard and soft citrus fruits. Still a bit youthfully tight, and less fleshy than the Mountain Estate bottling. Finishes spicy and long, with a lightly saline quality; this melts into the palate like a sake. Initially seemed a bit warm on the back but showed better grip and finishing minerality with aeration. This is from an old Wente clone, while the Mountain Estate Vineyard is planed to Dijon clones.

Fisher’s 2005 Chardonnay Whitney’s Vineyard reveals good minerality in its Chablis-like notes of lemon zest, crushed rocks, orange blossom, and nectarines. A chalky component and good, crisp acidity are also present in this effort. The oak is kept well in the background.

Light yellow. Intensely spiced orange and pear on the nose, with a hint of tarragon. Focused citrus and orchard fruit flavors show good energy and fill out nicely with air, finishing fleshy and sweet. Whitney Fisher told me that the grapes here were harvested into October. I tasted this and the Mountain Estate chardonnay just prior to bottling.

The gorgeously opulent 2004 Chardonnay Whitney’s Vineyard displays fine underlying acidity buttressing a hefty Chardonnay. Honeyed grapefruit, white currants, and subtle smoky hazelnuts are followed by a wine with beautiful texture and a long, heady finish. Drink it over the next 2-3 years.

(Fisher has now stopped purchasing chardonnay fruit; this wine, from vines around the property, is Fisher's only chardonnay in 2000) Pale gold color. Bright aromas of pineapple and more tropical fruits, complicated by clove spice. Big, rich, supple and flavorful, with notes of pineapple, clove and game. Part of this wine did not go through malolactic fermentation.

The 2002 Chardonnay Whitney’s Vineyard Estate reveals an exotic, lychee nut and honeysuckle-scented nose with fresh white currants and smoky hazelnut characteristics in the background. This beautifully made white is ideal for drinking over the next 1-2 years.

Pale gold. Musky nose dominated by smoke and lees. Fatter, fuller and sweeter than the Coach Insignia, with deep, fruit-driven flavors of lemon curd, pear and orange liqueur. Gives an impression of fuller ripeness and higher pH than the Coach Insignia. Finishes with very good length and grip.

Spicy, leesy aromas of lemon, peach, tropical fruits, honey and vanilla. Fatter and broader than the Paladini but with harmonious acidity keeping the wine firm and fresh. With the pH higher here, the finish is longer and more pliant but also a bit warm.

The 1999 Chardonnay Whitney's Vineyard, which is named after the proprietor's daughter, is a full-bodied Chardonnay that has seen full malolactic fermentation, buy it tends to offer orange/tangerine, citrus oils, and honeysuckle in a full-bodied, concentrated, very graceful style, with good underlying acidity. This wine shows beautiful balance and the potential to last for 2-4 years.

More minerally nose features oatmeal and honey. A step up in flavor intensity: at once denser and suaver, more mouthcoating. Acids nicely buffered by extract. Solidly structured and longer than the above. The yield on these clay and loam soils was less than two tons per acre in '98, according to Fisher.

The stunning 1998 Chardonnay Whitney's Vineyard reveals lots of acidity, but offers orange marmalade, lemon butter, attractive leesy notes, minerality, and smoky fruit flavors. Full-bodied, with more flavor dimension and complexity than the Coach Insignia, it should drink well for 3-4 years.

The 1997 Chardonnay Whitney's Vineyard (400 cases) is 100% barrel-fermented and aged, of which 45% are new. Primarily made from an old Wente clone, it possesses more minerality than the Coach Insignia. The backward, full-bodied 1997 is intensely rich with wet stone/cold steel notes nicely etched in the spicy, leesy, smoky fruit flavors. The wine is highly-extracted yet displays good underlying structure and acidity. It should drink well for 5-6 years.

The 1995 Chardonnay Whitney's Vineyard is even more intense than the Coach Insignia, with a smoky, orange peel and ripe pineapple-scented nose, layers of chewy, unctuously-textured fruit, and a mouthfeel not dissimilar from a top vintage of Burgundy's Coche-Dury Meursault. This fat, ripe Chardonnay is ideal for drinking over the next 1-2 years.

Fisher's Chardonnays are made in a style that emphasizes the fruit more than lavish quantities of toasty oak. These are bold, flavorful, concentrated wines that boast plenty of power. Even more honeyed and distinctive than the 1993 is the 1994 Chardonnay Whitney's Vineyard (400 cases). The decadent, exotic, honeyed pineapple-like nose is followed by a rich, unctuously thick, lavishly-oaked Chardonnay with low acidity and layers of chewy fruit and glycerin.

The spectacular 1993 Whitney's Vineyard Chardonnay displays a tell-tale, honeyed tangerine/orange peel nose, well-integrated toasty oak (50% new oak is utilized), and a full-bodied, layered, concentrated finish. This Chardonnay is best drunk in its first 2-4 years of life. Readers should look for the 1994 and 1993 Chardonnays from Whitney's Vineyard. Since there are only 400-500 cases of Chardonnay produced from this 20-year old vineyard on the hillside next to the winery, it is a good idea to get your order in quickly.

The Chardonnays emanating from this estate are some of the finest now being made in California. The 1992 Chardonnay Whitney's Vineyard (only 300 six-bottle cases of this sure-fire superstar were produced) is a spectacularly concentrated Chardonnay. With a honeyed, tangerine/orange and buttery fruitiness, great ripeness, medium to full body, gorgeously integrated acidity, as well as a judicious dose of smoky new oak, this flavorful, complex, multidimensional Chardonnay should drink well for another 2-3 years.

Fisher has produced two fine Chardonnays from the outstanding 1990 vintage. The superb Whitney's Vineyard reveals a penetrating fragrance of flowers and fruit, a judicious use of new oak, and a medium to full-bodied, crisp, pure, multi-layered flavors, and fine length. Drink it over the next 2-3 years.