Hartford Family Winery was founded in 1994 as a result of Don and Jennifer Hartford's appreciation for the wines, the people, and the unique vineyards near their Russian River Valley home. Located in the Sonoma County town of Forestville, the winery is about 15 miles from the cool Pacific Coast. Making delicious wines of high personality is directly related to the difficult locations of their vineyard sources, the limited production of their bottlings and the varietals they use. "Character through adversity" is an expression that they believe applies to people and grapevines, and surviving adversity builds character, and personality, in both.
The Russian River Valley is one of THE best places in the world for growing Chardonnay. The cooling winds from the Pacific Ocean spread throughout the area, and help to moderate the temperatures throughout the day, whereas areas just to the east are exceptionally warmer. Also, the soils are a mix of sand, clay, and silt. The clay brings richness to a wine, while the sand brings more flowered aromatics and brightness in the wine. If you ask us, this sounds like the recipe for Chardonnay perfection!
All the Hartford vineyards are sustainably-farmed at a minimum, with many of them being farmed organically. Aged for 10 months in French oak (of which 25% of those barrels were new).
ANTONIO GALLONI'S VINOUS MEDIA 92 POINTS - "The 2024 Chardonnay (Russian River Valley) really overdelivers. It’s an ideal expression of the Russian River Valley, with all the bright, sunny orchard fruit and spritzy citrus lift you could hope for, but also an extra measure of freshness and juiciness that leaves the mouth watering. Notably restrained, the 2024 shows excellent finesse, especially for an appellation-level bottling."
The Russian River Valley is one of THE best places in the world for growing Chardonnay. The cooling winds from the Pacific Ocean spread throughout the area, and help to moderate the temperatures throughout the day, whereas areas just to the east are exceptionally warmer. Also, the soils are a mix of sand, clay, and silt. The clay brings richness to a wine, while the sand brings more flowered aromatics and brightness in the wine. If you ask us, this sounds like the recipe for Chardonnay perfection!
All the Hartford vineyards are sustainably-farmed at a minimum, with many of them being farmed organically. Aged for 10 months in French oak (of which 25% of those barrels were new).
ANTONIO GALLONI'S VINOUS MEDIA 92 POINTS - "The 2024 Chardonnay (Russian River Valley) really overdelivers. It’s an ideal expression of the Russian River Valley, with all the bright, sunny orchard fruit and spritzy citrus lift you could hope for, but also an extra measure of freshness and juiciness that leaves the mouth watering. Notably restrained, the 2024 shows excellent finesse, especially for an appellation-level bottling."