Scherrer Winery 'Helfer Vineyard' Chardonnay, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, CA 2018

Founded by Fred Scherrer in the mid-1990s, Scherrer Winery remains one of Sonoma’s most respected family-run estates—quietly crafting wines of precision, balance, and age-worthiness from meticulously chosen sites. The Helfer Vineyard bottling, from a dry-farmed parcel near Occidental, showcases Scherrer’s restrained hand with Chardonnay and his devotion to vineyard transparency over style.

• WINEMAKER: Fred Scherrer

• FARMING: Dry-farmed; sustainably managed

• VARIETY: 100% Chardonnay 

• TERROIR: Sourced from the Helfer Vineyard, a cool-climate site just inland from the Sonoma Coast; Goldridge sandy loam soils and persistent maritime influence yield fruit of depth, minerality, and tension.

• VINIFICATION: Whole-cluster pressed and fermented with native yeasts in French oak barrels; full malolactic fermentation.

• AGING: Aged 18 months in French oak (approximately 25% new) with extended lees contact for texture and integration; bottled unfined and unfiltered.

• TASTING NOTES: Layers of ripe pear, lemon curd, and toasted hazelnut intertwine with subtle oak spice and saline minerality. Rich yet taut, with a creamy mid-palate balanced by focused acidity and a lingering, citrus-tinged finish.

• FOOD PAIRINGS: Butter-poached lobster, roast chicken, or wild mushroom pasta.

• SCORES: Vinous 94; Wine Advocate 93