MacRostie 2023 Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast

The MacRostie 2023 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay greets you like a familiar gesture. Aromas of baked apple and lush pineapple arrive first, drawn forward by the comforting warmth of brown butter and vanilla bean. There’s richness, but it’s anchored by a disk of bright lemon peel that keeps everything focused. 

On the palate, it settles into an elegant embrace. Creamy orchard fruit—think apple compote and pear flesh—lingers, framed by slate‑like minerality and a faint crystalline edge. The texture is smooth but lifted, spacious and inviting without losing energy. 

This is more than a varietal—it’s a regional statement. MacRostie draws from a collection of Sonoma Coast sites, a tapestry of gravelly soils, coastal fog, and precise microclimates. It’s winemaking with a landscape in mind, stewarded since the winery’s founding by Steve MacRostie, now guided by Heidi Bridenhagen’s steady hand. 

The 2023 vintage added its own shape. A cool, even growing season allowed fruit to ripen evenly, while the team leaned into balance—just enough oak for structure, plenty of lees contact for texture, without letting weight take over. 

This Chardonnay doesn’t arrive looking for praise. Instead, it stays with you—the kind of wine that makes you pause mid-conversation. Somona Coast 2023—rich in tone, steady in purpose.