Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay Vintner's Reserve 2023

Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay Vintner's Reservetext

91POINTS

16^¾/20

California, United StatesFinally, a screwcap has been introduced for the Kendall Jackson Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay, one of the best selling Chardonnay brands in the world. I have been requesting a screwcap for this wine for over two decades, but the company was hesitant to alter the success of their cork finished wine, citing concerns that the US market wasn't ready to embrace screw caps. Indeed, America is often referred to as the world's number one wine market, but when it comes to change it can be highly resistant. Kendall Jackson's winemaking has always been exceptional, but traditional cork closures carry the risk of cork taint, a mold found in cork fibres known as 2, 4, 6-Trichloroanisole (TCA). While TCA is harmless to ingest, it can ruin a vibrant, aromatic wine, making it smell like a wet dog or a flooded basement. Nowadays, it is an unnecessary risk, especially for a multimillion case brand and tens of millions of bottles that don’t need to be otherwise contaminated. Now for the review, and it’s straightforward: this is the best Vintner's Reserve ever, which is significant given the consistent value this chardonnay has provided its fans over the years. But moving to a screw cap has allowed the wine to recover the last and most delicate fruit and aromas that are shaved off an average corked finished bottle, taking it to new heights. I’m not sure if they can produce more Vintner's Reserve at this level of quality, but they should be prepared for the surge of women, the largest group of wine buyers in the world, to start reaching for VR Reserve under screw cap in more significant numbers because they have been systematically shunning wines that require them to operate a corkscrew for years.Tasted: 28 November 2024Tasted by: Anthony GismondiPrices: