Winemaker Notes
The unique Paso Robles Chardonnay begins with a note of struck flint and bright citrus zest in the bouquet, awakening the palate with bright natural fruit acidity and flavors of Meyer lemon and golden delicious apple. Aged sur lie, this wine delivers the perfect balance of crisp character and rich texture, delivering a finishing act of sweet vanilla, fresh-baked brioche, and warm graham cracker crust. Delicious in its youth, this Chardonnay also has the makings for longcellaring
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
There's a density to the nose of this bottling from a historic vineyard, with aromas of smoked lemon peel, preserved lemon, hazelnut and toast. It clings to the palate with chiseled stone, light lemon and toasted nut flavors, then sails into a sandalwood and marzipan finish—a journey of a wine.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Coming from the estate HMR Estate Vineyard and brought up in 30% new French oak, the 2019 Chardonnay HMR Vineyard has attractive notes of spiced apples, white flowers, sappy herbs, and a touch of background oak. Medium-bodied, with bright acidity and a classy, almost Burgundian style, it's a terrific white from Adelaida to enjoy over the coming 4-6 years, if not longer.
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.
Paso Robles has made a name for itself as a source of supple, powerful, fruit-driven Central Coast wines. But with eleven smaller sub-AVAs, there is actually quite a bit of diversity to be found in this inland portion of California’s Central Coast.
Just east over the Santa Lucia Mountains from the chilly Pacific Ocean, lie the coolest in the region: Adelaida, Templeton Gap and (Paso Robles) Willow Creek Districts, as well as York Mountain AVA and Santa Margarita Ranch. These all experience more ocean fog, wind and precipitation compared to the rest of the Paso sub-appellations. The San Miguel, (Paso Robles) Estrella, (Paso Robles) Geneso, (Paso Robles) Highlands, El Pomar and Creston Districts, along with San Juan Creek, are the hotter, more western appellations of the greater Paso Robles AVA.
This is mostly red wine country, with Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel standing out as the star performers. Other popular varieties include Merlot, Petite Sirah, Petit Verdot, Syrah, Grenache and Rhône blends, both red and white. There is a fairly uniform tendency here towards wines that are unapologetically bold and opulently fruit-driven, albeit with a surprising amount of acidity thanks to the region’s chilly nighttime temperatures.