Tom Dehlinger, a U.C. Davis enologist and his wife Carole founded Dehlinger in 1975 on a 14-acre parcel of land. Today, the 45 acres of estate vineyard, formerly an apple orchard, is planted in gravely Altamont and Goldridge sub-soils. Second generation Eva Dehlinger is the general manager and Carmen Dehlinger is the director of sales and marketing. Dehlinger continues to maintain a very loyal following because of the consistency, complexity and high-quality style of their wines. This winery has completely mastered Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

The Dehlinger Estate Chardonnay is crafted from eight estate blocks of Chardonnay planted between 1975 and 1998. These heritage Wente clones of Chardonnay are planted in Goldridge soils. This is a captivating wine from start to finish. It unveils itself with a mouthful of flavors and ripe aromas of fresh orchard apples with lemon oil. In the core are accents of grilled pineapple, marzipan and poached pear dusted with hints of cinnamon and roasted nuts. The finish continues to linger for minutes. Afterwards, I could only respond “Wow.”

By W Peter Hoyne