Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Another perfect wine is the 2016 Chardonnay Eastside Vineyard, which comes from a site on the east side of the Russian River Valley. All from a suitcase clone from Montrachet, it has a perfumed, vibrant bouquet of caramelized green citrus, crushed rocks, orange blossom, and candied ginger. While it’s a full-bodied, powerful wine, it has an incredible sense of freshness and purity, with more saline/oyster shell notes developing as it sat in the glass. It’s another tour de force from Mark Aubert!
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Chardonnay Eastside Vineyard is scented of lemon tart, baking bread, crushed stones, clover honey and shaved almonds with hints of pure, sliced pears and Golden Delicious apples. Full-bodied, elegant, fine and restrained, the silken palate has a quiet intensity, finishing long with savory layers. Barrel Sample: 97-100 Points
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 standout region for its decidedly Californian take on Burgundian varieties, the Russian River Valley is named for the eponymous river that flows through it. While there are warm pockets of the AVA, it is mostly a cool-climate growing region thanks to breezes and fog from the nearby Pacific Ocean.
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir reign supreme in Russian River, with the best examples demonstrating a unique combination of richness and restraint. The cool weather makes Russian River an ideal AVA for sparkling wine production, utilizing the aforementioned varieties. Zinfandel also performs exceptionally well here. Within the Russian River Valley lie the smaller appellations of Chalk Hill and Green Valley. The former, farther from the ocean, is relatively warm, with a focus on red and white Bordeaux varieties. The latter is the coolest, foggiest parcel of the Russian River Valley and is responsible for outstanding Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.