Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
Acero is the Spanish word for "steel," indicating that this estate-grown and -bottled wine contains zero oak. The vineyard, located in the cool-climate Green Valley, is only 10 miles from the Pacific. Stunning aromatics and flavors of lime-vanilla cream pie, peach, and gar-denia are opulent yet graceful. Well-orchestrated acidity lifts every note as they collectively express a measured cadence of florals and fruit.
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James Suckling
One of the first chardonnays in California to popularize the unoaked style. It's fruity and floral, laced with green apples, golden apples and Bosc pears, with light almond and vanilla accents. Aged only in steel eggs and steel barrels on the lees without going through malolactic, so it keeps freshness. Medium-bodied.
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Wine Enthusiast
Lively and fresh on the nose, this unoaked Chard gives aromas of pineapple, mixed citrus, jasmine and fresh linen. The palate is clean and lively, displaying flavors of white flowers, river rock, juicy pear and Meyer lemon before a long and high-toned finish.
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Wine Spectator
Light and fresh, with a core of lemon sorbet, grapefruit zest, tangerine and lemon blossom notes on a juicy frame. Shows refreshing persistence and a hint of sea salt on the finish. Drink now. 648 cases made.
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.