Winemaker Notes
The hillside site for the Ellen Lane Chardonnay is situated on slopes that resemble an amphitheater, helping retain warmth from the afternoon sun and cool air in the evening hours. With these favorable conditions, a golden-yellow appears in the glass, accompanying expressive aromas white tea, ginger root, lemon meringue, and mineral accented notes of wet slate. The creamy texture on the palate reveals citrus, apple skin, and a vibrant acidity that lingers through the finish providing tension and focus. Delectable with Halibut Crudo served with a radish salad and meyer lemon.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This is a layered and very beautiful chardonnay with nuances of cooked apples and hints of toasted oak and limes. Full-bodied, tight and focused. Pretty finish. Shows length and balance. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Produced from Old Wente Hyde Selection clones, the 2017 Chardonnay Ellen Lane Estate leaps from the glass with gregarious notions of candied ginger, lemongrass, yuzu zest and allspice with a core of green mango and pineapple plus a waft of crushed rocks. Medium to full-bodied, the palate features a truly zippy line of freshness lifting the densely packed, opulent tropical and spice layers to a very long finish. Fantastic tension!
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2017 Chardonnay Ellen Lane Estate comes from a vineyard in the Russian River Valley and was brought up in 48% new French oak. More white currants, Meyer lemons, brioche, and honeysuckle all emerge from this beauty and it's silky and elegant on the palate, with fabulous balance. Rich, textured, with good acidity and length, it's going to benefit from another 6-12 months of bottle age and should age gracefully for 7-8 years.
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Wine Spectator
Pure, crisp and well-spiced, this offers lively apple and green pear flavors, with hints of tangerine. The minerally finish displays savory richness and saline elements. Drink now through 2022.
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.