🇺🇸 Januik Chardonnay Cold Creek Vineyard 2021

This is Washington Chardonnay with a glow-up: rich, polished, and not here to cosplay as a butter bomb. Cold Creek Vineyard is the kind of site that makes winemakers get emotional, and honestly, we get it.

Wine Description

Januik’s Cold Creek Vineyard Chardonnay is the bottle you open when you want something luxurious without the drama. It’s a single-vineyard Washington Chardonnay built on balance, texture, and that “one more sip” pull.

Cold Creek sits on the eastern edge of the Columbia Valley and has a reputation for delivering Chardonnay with depth and natural acidity, vintage after vintage. Januik has been working with this site since 1990, and the wine has become one of the winery’s signature flexes.

The Vibe 

Quiet-luxury energy in a glass. Think linen shirt, clean kitchen, good playlist, someone competent cooking, and you pretending you’re not impressed even though you totally are.

What it tastes like 

For the exact 2021 tasting notes, reputable technical details were not publicly available, so we’re keeping it honest. Based on how Januik describes this bottling and how nearby vintages are reviewed, expect orchard fruit and citrus with a creamy, rounded texture, a light touch of oak, and a mineral-leaning finish that keeps it feeling fresh instead of heavy.

Pairing + When to drink it

This is made for food and flirting with the idea you’re “just having one glass.” Run it with roast chicken, crab cakes, creamy pastas, grilled pork, or anything that loves a silky white with real structure; drink now for that glossy charm, or hold if you like a little more savory depth.

Quick Specs 

• Producer: Januik Winery

• Region/Appellation: Columbia Valley AVA, Washington (Cold Creek Vineyard)

• Grapes: Chardonnay

• Vintage: 2021

• Farming: Unknown

• Winemaking/Aging: Producer notes barrel fermentation and French oak for this bottling

• Bottle size: 750 ml

Critic Reviews

• Michael Alberty, Wine Enthusiast, 91 points

  • Reviewed vintage: 2022

  • Date: Issue 9/1/2024

  • Excerpt: A hungry-making, pastry-leaning nose with tangier citrus tones and a soft texture balanced by gentle acidity.

• Paul Gregutt (regional Washington wine critic), 91/100

  • Reviewed vintage: 2023

  • Date: December 2024 

  • Excerpt: Ripe peach and melon feel with noted French oak aging, framed as a solid, structured Washington Chardonnay.

FAQs 

Q: What is Januik Cold Creek Vineyard Chardonnay 2021?
A: A single-vineyard Chardonnay from Cold Creek Vineyard in Washington’s Columbia Valley AVA, produced by Januik Winery.

Q: Is the Januik Cold Creek Vineyard Chardonnay 2021 oaky and buttery?
A: It is balanced with a light oak touch; detailed 2021 technical specifics are not publicly verified, so the exact oak profile is unknown.

Q: What grapes are in Januik Cold Creek Vineyard Chardonnay 2021?
A: Chardonnay.

Q: What foods pair best with this wine?
A: Roast chicken, seafood like crab, creamy pasta, and grilled pork all pair well with structured, textured Chardonnay like this.