100% Chardonnay

Food pairings: A fresh poke bowl, ideally enjoyed on the beach.

Winemaking: The sustainably grown grapes are pressed and fermented in stainless steel to preserve the wine's pure, vibrant character. The wine then goes through full malolactic fermentation, which adds a creamy roundness, and rests for seven months before it is bottled without filtration. It is a vegan wine.

Vineyards and terroir: Bishop's Peak is the second label of Talley Vineyards and is named after a well-known local landmark, Bishop Peak, one of the volcanic peaks that rise above San Luis Obispo. The wines capture the cool coastal terroirs of San Luis Obispo County, combining fruit from the Talley family's own vineyards with grapes from trusted, like-minded local growers. The 2024 is a Central Coast Chardonnay.

Family and history: The Talley family began farming vegetables in the Arroyo Grande Valley in 1948, planted its first wine grapes in 1982 and released its first estate-bottled wines in 1986. Today Talley Vineyards is a family-owned estate specializing in Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from the Arroyo Grande Valley and Edna Valley; its 2002 Rosemary's Vineyard Chardonnay was judged the best California Chardonnay at the 30th anniversary re-enactment of the Judgment of Paris in 2006. Bishop's Peak wines are handcrafted with the same care as the Talley label, at a friendlier price.

In the pictures: The Talley family's 1860s adobe below the estate vineyards in the Arroyo Grande Valley (photo: Elizabeth Talley, 2020, CC BY-SA 4.0). Cerro Romauldo, Chumash Peak and Bishop Peak, the wine's namesake, seen from Laguna Lake in San Luis Obispo (photo: Basar, 2008, CC BY-SA 3.0).