Winemaker Notes
Vintage
In the glass, the 2000 Sonoma County Chardonnay offers up a mouth-watering array of intriguing flavors and aromas. Loaded with fruit, it comes at you from all directions.
Vineyard
The fruit for our 2000 Sonoma County Chardonnay comes from three exceptional vineyards in the Russian River Valley. Each vineyard reflects its distinct terroir and contributes different nuances and characteristics to the wine.
Fermentation & Aging
Because the fruit is grown in a relatively cool climate, we put it through barrel and malolactic fermentation to balance out the crisp acids and give the wine a rich and creamy texture. Sur lies aging and stirring in French oak barrels adds hints of toasty oak and complexity to the blend
Home to a diverse array of smaller AVAs with varied microclimates and soil types, Sonoma County has something for every wine lover. Physically twice as large as Napa Valley, the region only produces about half the amount of wine but boasts both tremendous quality and variety. With its laid-back atmosphere and down-to-earth attitude, the wineries of Sonoma are appreciated by wine tourists for their friendliness and approachability. The entire county intends to become a 100% sustainable winegrowing region by 2019.
Sonoma County wines are produced with carefully selected grape varieties to reflect the best attributes of their sites—Dry Creek Valley’s consistent sunshine is ideal for Zinfandel, while the warm Alexander Valley is responsible for rich, voluptuous red wines like Cabernet Sauvignon. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are important throughout the county, most notably in the cooler AVAs of Russian River, Sonoma Coast and Carneros. Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot and Syrah have also found a firm footing here.
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.