Winemaker Notes
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.
Extending east from the quaint seaside town of Carmel-by-the-Sea, Carmel Valley’s western vineyards produce cool climate varieties such as Chardonnay and Pinot noir while its warmer, eastern end, does well with heat-loving varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Sirah.