Winemaker Notes
The 2018 Sangiacomo Chardonnay is lighter in gold color than previous years with enormous aromatics. Pure jasmine, white peach, and honeysuckle are immediate. White pepper, vanilla bean and a light soapstone minerality start to come off the glass. The wine has a wonderful mouthfeel, with more of the floral elements and soft tropical fruit on the palate with a long honeysuckle spice finish. Due to the beautiful acidity this pretty wine will drink well now, but age nicely over the next 7-8 years (2026-2027).
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2018 Barnett Vineyards Sangiacomo Chardonnay delivers the whole package. TASTING NOTES: This wine is attractive and delicious. Enjoy its generous and concentrated aromas and flavors of ripe fruit, dried leaves, and accents of oak with shellfish in a mix of romaine and butter lettuce. (Tasted: April 29, 2020, 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.
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.