Winemaker Notes
Crystalline pale straw with a faint chlorophyllic tint, the 2023 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay opens with lifted aromas of freshly picked green apple, and is fragrantly perfumed with Meyer lemon zest, gardenia, honeysuckle, and orange blossom. On the palate, notes of Honeycrisp apple lead a well-focused palate punctuated by a burst of fresh guava. Mineral-driven, vibrant acidity accented with a flaky sea salt-like crunchiness is interlaced with a delicate creamy yet firmly structured texture. The finish is pure and clean with good tension and energy through the lingering, expressively juicy finish.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Very clean and bright white with sliced apples, ripe pears and crushed stone undertones. Medium-bodied, crunchy, flavorful, crisp and bright.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Bright yellow/green-hued, the 2023 Chardonnay Sonoma Coast is bottled under screwcap and is lifted and fresh with lime, white flowers, green apples, and lemon zest. It’s fantastic on the palate, with ripe acidity, a silky, stony texture, elegant ripeness, and a cleansing finish. A great value, it’s lovely now, but don’t feel hurried with this one.
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Wine Spectator
Bright yellow/green-hued, the 2023 Chardonnay Sonoma Coast is bottled under screwcap and is lifted and fresh with lime, white flowers, green apples, and lemon zest. It’s fantastic on the palate, with ripe acidity, a silky, stony texture, elegant ripeness, and a cleansing finish. A great value, it’s lovely now, but don’t feel hurried with this one.
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 vast appellation covering Sonoma County’s Pacific coastline, the Sonoma Coast AVA runs all the way from the Mendocino County border, south to the San Pablo Bay. The region can actually be divided into two sections—the actual coastal vineyards, marked by marine soils, cool temperatures and saline ocean breezes—and the warmer, drier vineyards further inland, which are still heavily influenced by the Pacific but not quite with same intensity.
Contained within the appellation are the much smaller Fort Ross-Seaview and Petaluma Gap AVAs.
The Sonoma Coast is highly regarded for elegant Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and, increasingly, cool-climate Syrah. The wines have high acidity, moderate alcohol, firm tannin, and balanced ripeness.