Sequoia Grove Napa Valley Chardonnay 2015
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James
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James Suckling
Aromas of green apple, stone and peach pit follow through to a medium body, pretty fruit and a subtle finish. Tangy backbone. Just the right amount of wood to fruit character. Drink or hold.
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Sequoia Grove, founded in 1979, is a family-owned winery located on Route 29 in the heart of Rutherford, Napa Valley’s most prestigious Cabernet Sauvignon appellation. Throughout its storied history, Sequoia Grove has been recognized for its commitment to crafting award-winning wines that emphasize finesse and balance from its estate vineyards in Rutherford, Yountville, and Mt Veeder as well as through decades-long relationships with top Napa Valley growers. Sequoia Grove wines are appreciated for their elegance and highly concentrated fruit; they are crafted to express the unique Napa Valley terroir and are the ideal food-pairing Napa Cabernets for these qualities. Sequoia Grove is also committed to the ongoing excellence of Napa Valley and Northern California winemaking, achieving the rigorous Napa Green Vineyards and Winery certifications, and partnering with Save the Redwoods League to preserve and protect vital habitat for its namesake Sequoia trees.
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.
One of the world's most highly regarded regions for wine production as well as tourism, the Napa Valley was responsible for bringing worldwide recognition to California winemaking. In the 1960s, a few key wine families settled the area and hedged their bets on the valley's world-class winemaking potential—and they were right.
The Napa wine industry really took off in the 1980s, when producers scooped up vineyard lands and planted vines throughout the county. A number of wineries emerged, and today Napa is home to hundreds of producers ranging from boutique to corporate. Cabernet Sauvignon is definitely the grape of choice here, with many winemakers also focusing on Bordeaux blends. White wines from Napa Valley are usually Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
Within the Napa Valley lie many smaller sub-AVAs that claim specific wine characteristics based on situation, slope and soil. Farthest south and coolest from the influence of the San Pablo Bay is Carneros, followed by Coombsville to its northeast and then Yountville, Oakville and Rutherford. Above those are the warm St. Helena and the valley's newest and hottest AVA, Calistoga. These areas follow the valley floor and are known generally for creating rich, dense, complex and smooth red wines with good aging potential. The mountain sub appellations, nestled on the slopes overlooking the valley AVAs, include Stags Leap District, Atlas Peak, Chiles Valley (farther east), Howell Mountain, Mt. Veeder, Spring Mountain District and Diamond Mountain District. Napa Valley wines from the mountain regions are often more structured and firm, benefiting from a lot of time in the bottle to evolve and soften.