Our California agriculture has taken a beating this last year or so due mostly to our West Coast water issues but there is good news on the wine front.  Wine Spectator reviewed over 450 Chardonnay wines from the 2012 crop (I wonder how you get that job?) and doled out scores of over 90 points for more than 27% of the wines reviewed.

Wine Price Range

There seems to be wine to fit any budget.  You can pick up a Smoking Loon Chardonnay California Steelbird Unoaked 2012  , 89 points for an amazing $8.00 a bottle. Or, for the wine connoisseur, you may want to try the Kongsgaard Chardonnay Napa Valley The Judge 2011 for $175.00 which weighed in at 94 points.  The whole list averages at $44.00 a bottle.

Some of these wines may be hard to find locally but most are available online from a variety of sources.

But Wait, There's More

Other highlights from the list include:

• Central Coast Region—Calera’s 2012; 86 points; $18
• Carneros Region—Rombauer’s Carneros 2012; 92 points; $34
• Napa Region—Tor’s Torchiana Beresini Vineyard Hyde Clone 2012; 94 points; $60
• Sonoma Region—Aubert’s Lauren 2012; 95 points; $95
• Santa Barbara Region—D’Alfonso-Curran’s White Hills 2008; 93 points; $42
• Mendocino Region—La Follette’s Manchester Ridge 2011; 88 points; $48

You can view the whole list at Winespectator.com