This JUSTIN Central Coast Chardonnay is a California white wine from JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery, established in 1981 by Justin Baldwin, a former investment banker, and his wife Deborah. The couple purchased approximately 160 acres west of Paso Robles. His vision was to make world-class Bordeaux-style blends. Befitting such ambition, The winery is invested in the French idea of terroir, that a wine must reflect its place, especially soil and climate.
The winery gained national recognition with Isosceles, a Cabernet Sauvignon-based blend inspired by the great wines of Bordeaux but produced with California’s generous sunshine and ripeness. Reflecting Isosceles’ prominence, much of JUSTIN’s branding, marketing, and naming play off the right-angle triangle theme.
JUSTIN’s soil is largely fossilized limestone from eons of marine deposit. The limestone stresses the vines, producing grapes that, ideally, completely express their varietal character.
Paso Robles’ distinctive microclimate offers the widest day to night temperature swings of any grape-growing region in California. The hot days allow the grapes to develop intense flavor, while the cool nights create structure and balance.
JUSTIN combines traditional Old World methods—like hand-harvesting and small-barrel aging in French oak—with New World technology.
The winery’s three prime areas of focus are: a “left bank” Bordeaux-style blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc, named Isosceles, JUSTIN’s flagship and most well-known offering; Justification, its “right bank” Merlot and Cabernet Franc cousin; and varietal bottlings of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. They also produce limited amounts of Tempranillo, Zinfandel, Malbec, Merlot, Syrah, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Viognier.
Billionaire Stewart Resnick bought JUSTIN Vineyards and Winery in late 2010. Resnick also controls Fiji Water, Pom Wonderful, and Teleflora. He also owns the Sonoma County wineries Landmark and Hop Kiln.
Justin Baldwin is still casually involved with the winery, but the winemaking falls to Napa Valley veteran Scott Shirley, who has maintained and even expanded JUSTIN’s quality and reputation. JUSTIN was named the 2015 American Winery of the Year by Wine Enthusiast Magazine.
JUSTIN Central Coast Chardonnay 2024
JUSTIN introduced this nationally distributed Chardonnay in 2025. The 2024 JUSTIN Chardonnay is an interesting departure from the big, buttery California Chardonnay style. JUSTIN, best known for its Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux-style blends from Paso Robles, has produced a Central Coast Chardonnay that emphasizes freshness, ripe fruit, and restrained oak.
This wine was fermented in stainless steel and oak barrels, with partial malolactic fermentation (hence, no buttery quality). It pours a bright lemon yellow in the glass. The nose offers melon, which continues on the plush palate, joined by lime and Asian pear. The fruit is clearly dominant, with little evidence of oak or butter. Good supporting acidity provides freshness and balance. Unfortunately, the finish is short. Overall, a pleasant Chardonnay that delivers attractive fruit and texture..
I’ve also tasted four JUSTIN Cabernets: the 2009 JUSTIN Cabernet, the 2017 JUSTIN Cabernet, the 2022 JUSTIN Reserve Cabernet, and the 2023 JUSTIN Cabernet.