2017 Three Sticks Chardonnay Durell Vineyard Sonoma Coast 750 ml

We simply never pass up the chance to sample Three Sticks’ Durell Vineyard Chardonnay—its legendary quality and extraordinary, creamy richness, derived from one of America’s greatest landmark vineyards—and we're thrilled to share that rare opportunity with Wine Access members. It's a shot at a lush Chardonnay so coveted and beloved, it can be nearly impossible to locate.

Durell Vineyard is a Sonoma Grand Cru site, a California gold mine from whose windblown slopes TOR, Patz & Hall, and Lutum have sculpted breathtaking releases. Three Sticks’ 2017 Durell Vineyard Chardonnay is sourced from just two blocks of Old Wente clones grown on the coldest, oldest, windiest parcels of the vineyard, where rock and soil marry lushness and minerality. Wineries wait years to source these grapes.

If you go to Three Sticks’ website in search of this wine, you’ll get a 404 error message. That’s because it’s sold out basically everywhere, except here. But Wine Access’s past success with this benchmark label landed us what is quite literally the last of the 2017s.

This was a milestone vintage for Three Sticks and 100-point veteran winemaker Bob Cabral, who made some of Williams Selyem’s most memorable releases during his 17-year term there. His Durell Chardonnay summons a kind of tropical paradise transcendence, spilling out mandarin blossom, freshly cut pineapple, and a hint of ocean spray—a surfeit of oak-wrapped richness cleansed by citrus acidity.

It’s no secret that this Chardonnay is charged with the same stamina, richness, and purity that you’ll find in Durell’s most famous single-vineyard releases. One taste tantalizes the senses—you can’t wait for the next sip. But what makes Three Sticks’ version such a blockbuster is how magnificently it over-delivers for the price. 

This bottle comes from blue-chip stock that can’t be bettered. Both Three Sticks winery and the Durell Vineyard are owned by Bill Price, a major figure at Kosta Browne and Gary Farrell. That legacy pushes this estate to outdo itself in every vintage, and this 2017—for the few that get to enjoy it—will be one to remember for years.