Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
Produced and bottled by Windsor Oaks Vineyards, the pineapple upsidedown cake and sweet chamomile tea are lures to tempt you into the glass. Crisp, dry celery and lime notes are elegant and graceful while mid-palate the slightly stone-mineral and just ripened peach is arousing with its slightly oily nature. The finish settles into pear semi-tartness. This is a wow wine, modern and edgy.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
155201 2013 Balverne CHARDONNAY Estate Grown UnOaked (RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY) 91 POINTS, WILFRED WONG. (Tasted: May 24, 2016, San Francisco, CA USA) One of the brightest Chardonnays in the marketplace, the lively 2013 Balverne UnOaked says just what it is—a Chardonnay that is all about its fruit. The wine's zesty green apple and tart nectarine notes make it a natural with Hamachi (yellow tail tuna sushi). Drinking very well now. (Best Served: 2015-2017) [SOURCING: USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley; Vineyards: Block 34 at the eastern end of the winery's property, planted in 1997 to clone 17 Chardonnay on 110-14 rootstock] [COMPOSITION: 100% Chardonnay] [TECHNICAL: 14.4% alcohol, 7.26g/L titratable acidity, 3.79 pH] [WINEMAKING HIGHLIGHTS: fruit brought into the winery in the early morning at very low temperatures; must inoculated with X16 yeast; aged sur-lie; no malolactic fermentation; racked and lightly fined] [Margaret Davenport, Winemaker; Sabrina Prati, Assistant Winemaker] One of the brightest Chardonnays in the marketplace, the lively 2013 Balverne UnOaked says just what it is—a Chardonnay that is all about its fruit. The wine's zesty green apple and tart nectarine notes make it a natural with Hamachi (yellow tail tuna sushi). Drinking very well now. (Tasted: May 24, 2016, San Francisco, CA) Light straw color; brisk aroma of green apple and mineral; medium bodied, bright and lively on the palate; tart apple and crisp nectarines in the flavors; lively aftertaste. Rating added to wine.com on 7/29/16 $20.00 $19.99 One of the brightest Chardonnays in the marketplace, the lively 2013 Balverne UnOaked says just what it is—a Chardonnay that is all about its fruit. The wine's zesty green apple and tart nectarine notes make it a natural with Hamachi (yellow tail tuna sushi). Drinking very well now. (Tasted: May 24, 2016, San Francisco, CA
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.