Dunham Cellars Shirley Mays Chardonnay 2014
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Wilfred
Wong -
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
A pretty clever chardonnay that fooled me initially in our blind tasting. I just could not figure out is low-keyed aromas and flavors at first whiff and taste. But with a moment, the 2014 Dunham Cellars Shirley Mays Chardonnay blossomed into a really beautiful wine. I'd like this one with a bowl of just steamed Dungeness crab. Light straw, green color; delicate ripe fruit and mineral in the nose, quietly persistent; medium bodied, zingy on the palate; dry, nice acidity, well balanced; refined flavors of core fruit and bright mineral, some tropical notes too; medium finish. (Tasted: March 31, 2016, San Francisco, CA)
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Wine Spectator
Bright and open-textured, offering refreshing grapefruit and pear flavors on a sleek frame. Finishes with zest. Drink now through 2019. 1,587 cases made.
Other Vintages
2006-
Wine
Spectator
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 large and geographically diverse AVA capable of producing a wide variety of wine styles, the Columbia Valley AVA is home to 99% of Washington state’s total vineyard area. A small section of the AVA even extends into northern Oregon!
Because of its size, it is necessarily divided into several distinctive sub-AVAs, including Walla Walla Valley and Yakima Valley—which are both further split into smaller, noteworthy appellations. A region this size will of course have varied microclimates, but on the whole it experiences extreme winters and long, hot, dry summers. Frost is a common risk during winter and spring. The towering Cascade mountain range creates a rain shadow, keeping the valley relatively rain-free throughout the entire year, necessitating irrigation from the Columbia River. The lack of humidity combined with sandy soils allows for vines to be grown on their own rootstock, as phylloxera is not a serious concern.
Red wines make up the majority of production in the Columbia Valley. Cabernet Sauvignon is the dominant variety here, where it produces wines with a pleasant balance of dark fruit and herbs. Wines made from Merlot are typically supple, with sweet red fruit and sometimes a hint of chocolate or mint. Syrah tends to be savory and Old-World-leaning, with a wide range of possible fruit flavors and plenty of spice. The most planted white varieties are Chardonnay and Riesling. These range in style from citrus and green apple dominant in cooler sites, to riper, fleshier wines with stone fruit flavors coming from the warmer vineyards.