Waypoint Chardonnay Heintz Vineyard Sonoma Coast 2022

It’s a GREAT day for some coastal Sonoma chardonnay from the exceptional Heintz Vineyard and its pristine fruit! Under $40 for this is a steal, $30 is grand theft – you don’t want to miss this!

Based in Napa Valley’s charming town of St. Helena, Waypoint Vineyards isn’t afraid to go outside of county lines to craft their stunning and sensuous wines. Waypoint is all about sourcing from high-profile vineyards and under-the-radar plots alike. They look for Cali vines that are farmed sustainably, with reverence for the land’s past, present, and future – and pay close attention to the practices utilized in caring for and harvesting the fruit. This fruit-first philosophy dictates their single-vineyard, single-variety, single-vintage approach to winemaking, allowing place, fruit, and time to drive the result of their exquisite wines.

Waypoint’s careful sourcing and selection process grants them the freedom to explore a number of wine regions throughout California. With today’s wine, we’re brought to a location on the coast of Sonoma County, set up on the Occidental Ridge in Western Sonoma, at an elevation of some 900 feet and just a few short miles from the mighty Pacific. Heintz is duly regarded as one of the ultimate, cool-climate vineyards in California, and other chardonnays crafted from this land can often push $100 a bottle. This fruit, expertly coaxed by the sure and steady hands of two ROCKSTAR winemakers (Matt Sands & Philippe Melka), yielded just the sort of results you’d expect...an utterly mind-altering Cali-chard that over-delivers in virtually every possible way!

“Waypoint” means “a stopping place on a journey” – an ever-apt name for single-vineyard designated wines made with the utmost care and craftsmanship. This is a producer that’s a champion of California terroir if you will, and we’re here for it. If you’ve never tried Waypoint, now is the perfect time. Creamy and dreamy, with some toasty notes, there’s a ripe and generous apple and pear character, with some exotic zippiness like lemon balm, roasted pineapple, and macadamia nut. A minerally and lemony acidity carries throughout, making this a serious sipper that will nevertheless please you unceasingly – like old Seinfeld reruns. Never submitted for scores, yet tasted side by side with its 94-point 2021 vintage...these two are neck and neck like a pair of twin giraffes. For 50% off and shipping included on 4 bottles, it doesn’t get much better, folks!

PAIRING IDEAS: Hello, football season! I’ll be honest, I’m just here for the food, wine, and oddly comforting nap-background noise of refs’ whistles and stadium cheering. Dips are my go-to football food, and an epic one alongside this brilliant SoCo coastal chard is this fiery Mexican street corn dip with tortilla chips.