Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2016 Chardonnay Sonoma Coast is an elegant, crisp white from Tony Biagi that has terrific notes of white flowers, pineapple cream, and lime. With both richness and freshness, drink this smoking value over the coming 2-4 years.
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James Suckling
A layered and flavorful chardonnay with lots of cooked apple and hints of lemon rind. Full body, hints of vanilla and green apple yet its full malo. Some lime undertones. Drink now.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Chardonnay Sonoma Coast (aged in 40% new French oak) features ripe melon, guava and Golden Delicious apples notes with touches of ripe peaches, buttered toast and cashews. The palate is medium to full-bodied with loads of tropical fruit and stone fruit flavors filling the mouth, finishing lively.
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 vast appellation covering Sonoma County’s Pacific coastline, the Sonoma Coast AVA runs all the way from the Mendocino County border, south to the San Pablo Bay. The region can actually be divided into two sections—the actual coastal vineyards, marked by marine soils, cool temperatures and saline ocean breezes—and the warmer, drier vineyards further inland, which are still heavily influenced by the Pacific but not quite with same intensity.
Contained within the appellation are the much smaller Fort Ross-Seaview and Petaluma Gap AVAs.
The Sonoma Coast is highly regarded for elegant Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and, increasingly, cool-climate Syrah. The wines have high acidity, moderate alcohol, firm tannin, and balanced ripeness.