Failla Chardonnay Sonoma 2013

Failla Chardonnay Sonoma Coast 2013 is a 100% Chardonnay from Sonoma Coast, California, bottled at 13.9% ABV in a standard 750ml format. This vintage earned 93 points from Wine Enthusiast and a Gold medal at the TEXSOM International Wine Awards, confirming its place among the most compelling Sonoma Coast Chardonnays of the 2013 growing season.

Quick Facts: ABV: 13.9%  |  Origin: Sonoma Coast, Sonoma County, California  |  Vintage: 2013  |  Winery: Failla

Production & Heritage

Failla (pronounced FAY-LA) was founded by winemaker Ehren Jordan, who honed his craft at Marcassin and other elite Sonoma Coast producers before launching his own label dedicated to cool-climate viticulture. What distinguishes this 2013 bottling is an unconventional winemaking split: 20% of the wine was fermented and aged in concrete egg vessels, while the remaining 80% spent 10 months in French oak barrels with only 15% new wood. The concrete egg contributes a distinctive textural roundness and preserves primary fruit character, while the restrained new-oak ratio avoids the heavy vanilla and butter profiles that dominate many California Chardonnays.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: The nose opens with flinty minerality and citrus — grapefruit rind, lime zest, and lemon oil — before revealing more delicate layers of jasmine, chamomile, and a subtle oyster-shell salinity. A whisper of raw oak and white pepper lingers underneath.

Taste: On entry, the wine is rich and structured, with honeydew melon and apricot leading into a mid-palate of tangerine and pineapple. A creamy texture carries lemon-like fruit across the palate, balanced by focused minerality and honeysuckle sweetness. Fig and warm spice notes emerge as the wine opens in the glass.

Finish: The finish is crisp and tangy, driven by vibrant acidity and a persistent mineral thread. Apricot pit and citrus peel linger cleanly, with considerable length for a wine at this price tier.

How to Drink Failla Chardonnay

Serve lightly chilled to around 50–55°F to let the minerality and citrus aromatics shine without muting the textural complexity. This Chardonnay rewards patience — allow it 15 to 20 minutes in the glass before diving in. Its balanced acidity and restrained oak also make it an excellent base for a White Negroni, where the flinty citrus profile amplifies the cocktail's bitter-herbal backbone. It works beautifully in a French 75, contributing stone-fruit depth and minerality rather than simple sweetness. For a simple warm-weather pour, try it in a White Wine Spritz with sparkling water and a grapefruit twist to highlight its natural citrus character.

Best For

• Gifting a Burgundy lover looking to explore top-tier California Chardonnay
• Pairing with a multi-course seafood dinner
• Cellaring for special occasions — the 2013 vintage has proven ageworthy
• Introducing experienced wine drinkers to concrete-egg winemaking techniques

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Failla Chardonnay taste like? The 2013 Sonoma Coast bottling leads with tangerine, apricot, and honeydew melon, balanced by flinty minerality and a crisp, tangy finish driven by vibrant natural acidity.

How does Failla Chardonnay compare to Marcassin Chardonnay Sonoma Coast? Both wines draw from Sonoma Coast fruit and share a cool-climate pedigree — Ehren Jordan worked at Marcassin before founding Failla. Marcassin typically commands a significantly higher price and tends toward a richer, more concentrated style, while Failla emphasizes mineral tension and restrained oak with its concrete-egg fermentation approach.

Is Failla Chardonnay good for sipping neat? Absolutely — the wine's layered aromatics, textural complexity from concrete-egg aging, and long mineral finish make it ideal for contemplative, unaccompanied drinking at a cool cellar temperature.

Where is Failla Chardonnay made? Failla sources fruit from cool-climate vineyards across the Sonoma Coast AVA in Sonoma County, California, and produces the wine at their facility in the region under the direction of founder and winemaker Ehren Jordan.

What foods pair well with Failla Chardonnay? Roasted halibut or branzino, where the wine's acidity cuts through the fish's richness; raw oysters on the half shell, echoing the wine's oyster-shell minerality; herb-roasted chicken with lemon, complementing the citrus and chamomile notes; aged Comté or Gruyère cheese, matching the creamy mid-palate; and crab risotto, where the honeydew and apricot fruit bridges the dish's sweetness.

What sizes does Failla Chardonnay come in? The Failla Chardonnay Sonoma Coast 2013 is available in the standard 750ml bottle format.

Is Failla Chardonnay worth the price? Failla positions as a premium Sonoma Coast Chardonnay, and with 93 points from Wine Enthusiast and a Gold medal at TEXSOM, the 2013 vintage delivers critical validation that aligns with its price tier — particularly given the uncommon concrete-egg production method and minimal new-oak regime.

Why Failla Chardonnay?

The defining feature of this 2013 Sonoma Coast bottling is its winemaking philosophy: the 20% concrete-egg fermentation and aging, paired with a mere 15% new French oak, produces a Chardonnay that prioritizes site expression over winemaker intervention. That restraint earned it 93 points from Wine Enthusiast and 92 from Vinous, placing it in distinguished company among Sonoma Coast whites from this vintage. Ehren Jordan's background at Marcassin — one of the most coveted Chardonnay producers in the region — informs a precision that few peers at this level can match. For drinkers tired of over-oaked, butter-heavy California Chardonnay, Failla's mineral-driven, acidity-focused approach represents a compelling and well-documented alternative.