Warm days are still with us, so I’m back with another summer wine recommendation – 2014 Husch Vineyards Chardonnay.  This wine is another affordable discovery purchased at Diablo Foods in downtown Lafayette, CA. Family owned and operated, Diablo Foods is currently celebrating 48 years in business and offers the best produce, meats and customer service in the East Bay’s Walnut Creek-Lafayette-Orinda-Moraga area, plus an impressive selection of wines. Diablo Foods retails 2014 Husch Vineyards Chardonnay as a special offering at $12, a few bucks below the winery’s web site price.

For those who like a gentle touch of oak in their Chardonnay, this fits the bill. The wine is aged 9 months in about 15% new oak barrels. The final product is very smooth and you should taste apple and pear with a touch of caramel. Alcohol is slightly high at 13.9%. Serve on the colder side, making Husch Vineyards Chardonnay an excellent summer sipping wine.

Husch Vineyards is located in the Anderson Valley in Mendocino County, California, an area famous for producing high quality Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Many Napa Valley wineries produce Sauvignon Blanc from grapes imported from this area. Husch produces over 22 red and white wines, of which 6 are distributed nationally.

Husch Vineyards – Winery & Tasting Room: 4400 Highway 128, Philo, CA 95466

Diablo Foods: 3615 Mount Diablo Boulevard, Lafayette, CA 94549