Winemaker Notes
This wonderfully complex Sonoma County Chardonnay has aromatics of honey,
rice cake, ripe Bosc pear, butterscotch and a hint of lemon. In the mouth, the wine
is moderate weight but packs extraordinary depth of flavor rich with apple pie,
lemon tart and a luscious caramel core. This round yet delicate wine finishes with
bright acidity and a creamy finish.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Shows fresh apple, Asian pear and citrus flavors that are vibrant at the core, with elegant details of sea salt minerality, lime zest and fresh ginger, plus spice and toasted green tea accents that linger.
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.
