Hartford Court Russian River Chardonnay 2016
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Enthusiast
Wine -
Suckling
James -
Dunnuck
Jeb
Product Details
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Wine Enthusiast
This wine is an impressive barrel selection of several vineyards across the appellation. It opens with a nose of charcuterie and brined olive, with a palate that is textured and rich in flavors of tarte Tatin and baked mango. Editors' Choice
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James Suckling
A soft and juicy chardonnay with lots of pralines, cooked apples and toasted oak character. Full body, lots of flavor and a slightly oily finish. Full style. Drink now.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The appellation 2016 Chardonnay Russian River Valley is a barrel fermented and aged white sourced from all the estate properties. Spiced pineapple, pear, seashell, and some lemon peel notes all emerge from this medium-bodied effort that has good intensity and depth, a light texture, and nicely integrated acidity. It shows the more elegant style of the vintage but puts on weight with time in the glass. It should drink nicely for 3-4 years.
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Making delicious wines of high personality is directly related to the difficult locations of the Hartford family's vineyard sources, the limited production of their bottlings and the varietals they use. "Character through adversity" is an expression that the Hartford family believes to apply to both people and grapevines, and they feel that surviving adversity builds character, and personality, in both.
The Hartford Family makes wines under two marks, one of which is Hartford Court. Hartford Court bottlings are small lots of high-personality single vineyard Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays that express the distinctive qualities inherent in each vineyard's terroir - the interplay of soil, slope, exposure and climate. The fruit is sourced from the Russian River Valley, Green Valley and Sonoma Coast appellations.
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 standout region for its decidedly Californian take on Burgundian varieties, the Russian River Valley is named for the eponymous river that flows through it. While there are warm pockets of the AVA, it is mostly a cool-climate growing region thanks to breezes and fog from the nearby Pacific Ocean.
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir reign supreme in Russian River, with the best examples demonstrating a unique combination of richness and restraint. The cool weather makes Russian River an ideal AVA for sparkling wine production, utilizing the aforementioned varieties. Zinfandel also performs exceptionally well here. Within the Russian River Valley lie the smaller appellations of Chalk Hill and Green Valley. The former, farther from the ocean, is relatively warm, with a focus on red and white Bordeaux varieties. The latter is the coolest, foggiest parcel of the Russian River Valley and is responsible for outstanding Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.