Foppiano Vineyards estate spotlight
Paul Foppiano and winemaker Natalie West are on camera on the official FoppianoWine channel, walking the Healdsburg estate founded in 1896, the house behind this Russian River Chardonnay.
2022 Foppiano Russian River Valley Chardonnay, Sonoma
Estate Russian River Chardonnay from Sonoma's oldest family winery, baked apple and honeyed spice, a 2022 you can open at fifteen dollars.
The 2022 Foppiano Estate Chardonnay is 100 percent Russian River Valley fruit from cooler blocks beside the river: toasted caramel, baked apple, quince, apricot, honey, and spice after whole-cluster pressing and 45 percent new French oak, now $15.
A 126-year-old Russian River estate Chardonnay, not anonymous supermarket oak
Foppiano has farmed this Healdsburg ranch since Giovanni bought Riverside Ranch in 1896. Louis J. Foppiano helped found the Russian River Valley AVA. The 2022 Chardonnay comes from the cooler blocks next to the river, whole-cluster pressed, barrel fermented, 45 percent new French oak, 85 percent native malolactic, 1,008 cases. The tech sheet is toasted caramel, baked apple, quince, apricot, honey, spice, and cinnamon. This is the bottle that argues a historic Sonoma house can still pour a serious Chardonnay at a Tuesday number.
The house
Founded 1896, still a Russian River name. Chardonnay and Pinot sit on the cooler land beside the river. Petite Sirah and Zinfandel take the warmer benches.
The wine
Whole-cluster pressed September 3, 2022. 45% new French oak. Weekly lees stirring in primary. 85% native MLF. 14.5% ABV. Bottled June 2023.
The glass
Winery note: toasted caramel, baked apple, quince, apricot, honey, spice, cinnamon, a bountiful finish.
The drinker
Baked apple and honey first. Serve 50 to 54 F. Seared scallops beurre blanc or creamy chimichurri roast chicken.
Toasted caramel and baked apple, then honey and spice
The Foppiano 2022 tech sheet is bright and golden, toasted caramel with baked apple and quince, then apricot, honey, and spice, a bountiful finish with lingering fruit and cinnamon. With age it should pick up toasted graham cracker and stone fruit. The 45 percent new oak is there as caramel and spice, not as a butter slog.
A warm year that started harvest early. Smaller yields, phenolic ripeness, concentrated fruit. Foppiano picked Chardonnay on September 3 and kept the lees work inside primary fermentation so fruit survived the new oak.
Toasted caramel, baked apple, quince, apricot, honey, spice, cinnamon.
Rich yet balanced, 14.5% ABV, 45% new French oak, 85% native MLF, weekly lees in primary.
Fresh fruit and cinnamon. Serve 50 to 54 F. A few minutes in the glass.
Whole-cluster press, then 45 percent new French oak
On the Foppiano 2022 Chardonnay sheet, fruit was hand-harvested in the early morning, whole-cluster pressed, and drained to chilled tanks. After settling, juice was inoculated and sent to a mix of new French oak and used barrels. Lees were stirred once a week only during primary fermentation, to build mouthfeel and protect fruit. Then 85 percent native malolactic. Bottled June 2023. 1,008 cases. 14.5% ABV, pH 3.48, TA 5.98 g/L.
Cooler river blocks keep Chardonnay in the baked-apple and quince register instead of tropical weight. New oak is a caramel and spice frame, not the whole story.
Serve 50 to 54 F. This is a generous Russian River white. A little air in the glass is enough.
Five generations on Old Redwood Highway
Foppiano is Sonoma County's oldest continually operated family-owned winery, and this Chardonnay is estate fruit from that ranch.
Giovanni Foppiano landed from Genoa, reached California, and bought Riverside Ranch in 1896. The family survived Prohibition with home-winemaking kits and later helped establish the Russian River Valley AVA.
The 160-acre estate sits just south of Healdsburg. Fog in the morning, warm afternoons, Chardonnay and Pinot on the river side, Petite Sirah on the benches.
Paul Foppiano farmed these blocks for years. The 2022 Chardonnay is that farming in a bottle: whole-cluster press, French oak, a historic name at a price that lets you open it.
Brown butter scallops and a roast chicken
Toasted caramel and honeyed apple want richer white-wine plates. Beurre blanc scallops echo the oak. Creamy chimichurri roast chicken gives herbs and fat.
Two plates. One seared scallop with beurre blanc. One creamy chimichurri roast chicken. Both can take this Chardonnay's oak and spice.
Serve 50 to 54 F. Let it warm slightly in the glass.
Seared Scallops Beurre Blanc
Sweet scallops and a butter-acid sauce. The luxury landing for 45 percent new French oak.
Why it works: Beurre blanc mirrors caramel and honey. Lemon keeps 14.5 percent alcohol from feeling heavy.
View Recipe for seared scallops beurre blanc (opens in a new tab)
Creamy Chimichurri Roast Chicken
Herbs, cream, and a roast bird. Enough savory weight for Russian River Chardonnay.
Why it works: Herbs pull quince and spice. Cream meets the malolactic texture.
View Recipe for creamy chimichurri roast chicken (opens in a new tab)Put this Foppiano Chardonnay in the cart
Estate Russian River fruit. 1,008 cases. 45 percent new French oak. Fifteen dollars.
Put it in the cart. This is the Foppiano white for a table that wants baked apple, honey, and a historic Sonoma name.
