Winemaker Notes
The 2021 Rosella’s Chardonnay exhibits beautiful fruit-forward aromas of ripe white fruits and baking spice. The palate is intense and beautifully structured showing flavors of ripe peach and tropical fruits accented by subtle notes of caramel which linger beautifully through its long, crisp finish.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Spicy and honeyed up front, with fresh Fuji apple, melon and peach flavors that are succulent and aromatic, showing off orange blossom, tangerine and sea salt details. Fruit-forward and generous from the start to the long, expressive finish, with a thread of acidity keeping everything light on its feet.
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Wine Enthusiast
Toasty oak and pecan aromas meet with singed lemon peel on the nose of this single-vineyard expression. Ripe peach, pineapple and juicy apricot flavors are dusted in sea salt and an intriguing alkaline minerality on the palate.
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.
Perhaps the most highly regarded appellation within Monterey County, Santa Lucia Highlands AVA benefits from a combination of warm morning sunshine and brisk afternoon breezes, allowing grapes to ripen slowly and fully. The result is concentrated, flavorful wines that retain their natural acidity. Wineries here do not shy away from innovation, and place a high priority on sustainable viticultural practices.
The climatic conditions here are perfectly suited to the production of ripe, rich Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. These Burgundian varieties dominate an overwhelming percentage of plantings, though growers have also found success with Syrah, Riesling and Pinot Gris.