Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
A refined style, with vibrant acidity backing the well-knit flavors of apple, pear and ripe melon. Toasty richness shows mid palate, featuring light buttery accents on the spicy finish. Drink now through 2025.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Spiced citrus, white flowers, and honeysuckle notes dominate the bouquet of the 2017 Chardonnay Block 92, a fresh, nicely textured, classic Carneros Chardonnay. With good acidity as well as balance, drink it any time over the coming 4-6 years.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Chardonnay Block 92 has a pronounced, profound nose of honeyed apricots, lemon meringue pie, spiced pears and almond croissant with hints of fresh ginger and almond croissant. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a suggestion of creaminess to the texture with loads of stone fruit and savory layers, finishing long and honey laced.
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.
Known for elegant wines that combine power and finesse, Carneros is set in the rolling hills that straddle the southernmost parts of both Sonoma and Napa counties. The cooling winds from the abutting San Pablo Bay, combined with lots of midday California sunshine, create an ideal environment for producing wines with a perfect balance of crisp acidity and well-ripened fruit.
This cooler pocket of California lends itself to growing Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah. Carneros is an important source of sparkling wines made in the style of Champagne as well.