Winemaker Notes
Creamy lemon and chamomile mingle on the nose with nectarine and toasted almond. Ripe grapefruit first appears on the palate with a burst of mouthwatering acidity. The citrus notes continue to develop throughout an unctuous, round mid-palate with notes of stone fruits as layers of grilled pineapple and white pepper culminate throughout the signature, lengthy finish.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Aged for 10 months in a combination of new and “experienced” French oak, stainless steel and concrete, this Chardonnay combines a rich, round mouthfeel with enough acidity to make lips tingle. Aromas and flavors of grilled lemons, white peaches, toasted filberts, saline and shortbread are thoroughly enjoyable.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2021 Chardonnay is terrific, with ripe stone fruits, toasted spice, and subtle honeyed flower notes in its medium-bodied, nicely textured, balanced style. It's a classy, impeccably made Chardonnay from this estate.
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James Suckling
This has aromas of baked pears, apple pie, lemon curd, yoghurt and pie crust. Nougat, too. Creamy, with textured, leesy layers and a full body. Lots of flavor and density.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Displaying a medium gold color at its core, the 2021 Chardonnay opens with elegant aromas of wax apple and honeysuckle with notions of roasted pear followed by hints of oak spices. Medium to full-bodied, the Chardonnay is fresh, succulent and ripe with notes of marzipan, baked apple skin and hints of lees and sautéed almonds. The palate offers layers of complexity before gliding to a long, textural finish.
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Wine Spectator
Fresh and exuberant, with apricot and lemon verbena flavors that zip along the snappy finish.
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.
An important winegrowing state increasingly recognized for its high-quality reds and whites, Washington ranks second in production in the U.S. after California. Washington wines continue to gain well-deserved popularity as they garner higher and higher praise from critics and consumers alike.
Washington winemakers draw inspiration mainly from Napa Valley, Bordeaux and the Rhône as well as increasingly from other regions like Spain and Italy. Most viticulture takes place on the eastern side of the state—an arid desert in the rain shadow of the Cascade mountains. Irrigation is made possible by the Columbia River. Temperatures are extreme, with hot and dry summers and cold winters, during which frost can be a risk.
Washington’s wine industry was initially built on Merlot, which remains an important variety to this day, despite having been overtaken in acreage planted by Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. Bordeaux blends and Rhône blends are common as well as single varietal bottlings. Washington reds tend to express a real purity of concentrated fruit. The best examples have a bold richness, seamless texture, plush or powdery tannins and flavors such as licorice, herb, forest floor, espresso and dark chocolate.
In terms of white wine from Washington state, Riesling is the state’s major success story, producing crisp, aromatic examples with plenty of stone fruit that range from bone dry to lusciously sweet. Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc perform nicely here as well, and Viognier is beginning to pick up steam.