Gallo Signature Series Chardonnay 2011
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Wine Spectator
Gallo’s Signature Series includes the 2011 Chardonnay, which comes primarily from their Laguna Ranch property. This 100% barrel-fermented Chardonnay was aged in 91% new French and American oak. As a result, the wine exhibits a spicy vanillin character intermixed with apricot marmalade, honeysuckle, white currant and quince notes. This attractive effort carries its 14.1% natural alcohol very well.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Gallo’s Signature Series includes the 2011 Chardonnay, which comes primarily from their Laguna Ranch property. This 100% barrel-fermented Chardonnay was aged in 91% new French and American oak. As a result, the wine exhibits a spicy vanillin character intermixed with apricot marmalade, honeysuckle, white currant and quince notes. This attractive effort carries its 14.1% natural alcohol very well. Only 2,000+ cases were made and it can be enjoyed over the next 5-8 years.
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One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
A standout region for its decidedly Californian take on Burgundian varieties, the Russian River Valley is named for the eponymous river that flows through it. While there are warm pockets of the AVA, it is mostly a cool-climate growing region thanks to breezes and fog from the nearby Pacific Ocean.
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir reign supreme in Russian River, with the best examples demonstrating a unique combination of richness and restraint. The cool weather makes Russian River an ideal AVA for sparkling wine production, utilizing the aforementioned varieties. Zinfandel also performs exceptionally well here. Within the Russian River Valley lie the smaller appellations of Chalk Hill and Green Valley. The former, farther from the ocean, is relatively warm, with a focus on red and white Bordeaux varieties. The latter is the coolest, foggiest parcel of the Russian River Valley and is responsible for outstanding Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.