It’s not often a 98-point Chardonnay comes across our table. Even rarer is one made by a winemaker who spent eight years apprenticing with Helen Turley at Marcassin. Matt Courtney carried that experience with him when he founded Ferren with David Wherritt in 2013, and the 2022 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay shows just how far he’s taken it, earning a towering 98 points from James Suckling. Courtney’s vineyard sources tell you plenty about Ferren. The winery works with sites including Silver Eagle, Lancel Creek, Frei Road, Zephyr Farms, and Volpert at the far western edge of the West Sonoma Coast. These carefully selected coastal vineyards combine ocean influence, Goldridge soils, and small yields, giving Courtney the raw material to pursue Ferren’s distinctive vision of Sonoma Coast Chardonnay. That same focus carries into the cellar, where Ferren relies on native fermentation and traditional Burgundian techniques, allowing the character of the vineyards to remain front and center. Put it all together, from Courtney’s remarkable pedigree to Ferren’s coastal vineyard sources and tiny production, and $69.99 is an exceptional value for Chardonnay of this caliber.