Cakebread Reserve Chardonnay 2017
-
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Enthusiast
Wine
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Jeb Dunnuck
Brought up in 35% new French oak, the 2017 Chardonnay Reserve offers a more rich, buttery style that carries plenty of apple-like fruits, white currants, and honeyed citrus aromas and flavors. It's nicely textured, has bright acidity, and a clean finish.
-
Wine Enthusiast
Barrel fermented, this robust white tastes of freshly cut pear, brioche and toasted oak, with a side note of baked apple. With a steely finish, it exudes richness through the midpalate, with hints of nutmeg and vanilla.
Other Vintages
2020-
Enthusiast
Wine
-
Wong
Wilfred
-
Parker
Robert
-
Parker
Robert
-
Spectator
Wine
-
Suckling
James -
Spectator
Wine
-
Wong
Wilfred
-
Spectator
Wine
-
Spectator
Wine
-
Spectator
Wine
-
Spectator
Wine
Over 30 years ago, Jack Cakebread came to photograph the Napa Valley for a book and while there, he casually mentioned his interest in one day owning a vineyard to some family friends who had a ranch in Rutherford. When he returned home that afternoon, the phone rang and it was the family friends offering to sell their property. He headed back up to the valley that same afternoon to make his best offer, and Cakebread Cellars was born.
As the Cakebread family reflects upon the many profound changes in the wine industry over the last 33 years, such as innovative farming techniques and new methods of reaching out to consumers, they note that their key values have remained the same. Dedication to making the highest quality wines and a commitment to family has followed a continuum as their first small vineyard has grown into a thriving internationally distributed wine company.
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.
Known for elegant wines that combine power and finesse, Carneros is set in the rolling hills that straddle the southernmost parts of both Sonoma and Napa counties. The cooling winds from the abutting San Pablo Bay, combined with lots of midday California sunshine, create an ideal environment for producing wines with a perfect balance of crisp acidity and well-ripened fruit.
This cooler pocket of California lends itself to growing Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah. Carneros is an important source of sparkling wines made in the style of Champagne as well.