Alpha Omega Chardonnay 2016
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Winemaker Notes
This finesse-driven Chardonnay, naturally fermented, unfined and unfiltered, embodies Meursault with a California accent. The nose exudes an explosion of salted caramel, gingerbread, cedar, licorice, butterscotch, canned pineapples, apricots, orange blossoms. Round entrance on the palate, evolving on grapefruit, quince, star fruit, honey, white chocolate lingering on toasted brioche, graphite.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Crisp and seamless with high-toned, floral aromatics, this appellation white offers a focused palate of classic elegance and fixating flavors of pear and apple. Medium bodied and in balance, it is memorably textured and delicious.
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James Suckling
Dried apricots, mangoes, sliced papaya and vanilla and spices. Full-bodied with a dense mouthfeel, but the focused acidity keeps this on point, driving through round fruit to an oily yet tangy finish. Drink now.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Coming from all over the valley, the 2016 Chardonnay offers a rich, textured yet balanced style as well as classic Chardonnay notes of honeysuckle, flower oil, tangerine, and lemon curd. It’s a full-throttle, Napa-styled Chardonnay.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Chardonnay displays compelling pear tart, warm peaches and spice cake scents with touches of baking bread and nutmeg. Medium to full-bodied, the palate gives invigorating freshness with loads of apple and stone fruit layers, finishing on a spicy note.
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Wine Spectator
Red peach and apple pastry flavors are well-knit in this buttery style. The spicy finish is long and rich, offering plenty of pastry accents.
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Established in 2006, Alpha Omega’s mission is to create artisanal, handcrafted wines drawing on Old World vineyard practices and emphasis on unique terroir driven characteristics that reveal a sense of place combined with New World technology and science. The winery, located on the Rutherford Bench in the heart of Napa Valley, exudes the utmost experience of hospitality in an authentic place reflective of the Napa Valley farming community. Presenting world-class wines in a convivial setting remains just as paramount to vintners Robin and Michelle Baggett today as when they opened the winery’s doors on July 1, 2006. Alpha Omega boasts a picturesque setting, highlighted by views of its landmark water fountains and reflecting pond, stunning vineyards and the statuesque Mayacamas Mountains. The breathtaking scenery makes for the perfect backdrop to enjoy the handcrafted wines made with grapes from prized, historic vineyards by Alpha Omega’s talented winemaking team.
A warm staff of well-trained wine educators, the postcard-worthy setting and the modern farm-style architecture of the winery on Napa Valley’s famous Highway 29, paired with beautiful wines was the intentional vision the Baggetts conceived when they toured the valley in 2005 searching for a property to purchase to open their first winery together. To create an estate comparable to the finest in the valley, the Baggetts took on the project in the same fashion that helped them achieve success in other fields — Robin as an attorney, grape grower and vintner in San Luis Obispo and Michelle as an international hotel interior designer later becoming a hospitality marketing and communication professional and branding whiz. Creating the brand name Alpha Omega in 2005 predestined their ambition to craft the ultimate winery experience from beginning to end. Today, Alpha Omega is honored that its estate is considered one of the top wineries in the region.
Alpha Omega continues to push forward, vintage after vintage, by constantly improving its wine, visitor experience and surroundings — the crux of Alpha Omega from the beginning and forever to the end.
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.