Winemaker Notes
The orchestration of different yeasts coupled with sur lie aging in stainless steel tanks as well as French oak barrels of different ages, toast levels, and origins creates an array of unique wines. Only the finest wines are combined in late spring into the vibrant final blend, showcasing the best of our estate. You will find layered, lovely aromas of Fuji apple, clementines, kaffir lime and jasmine. A rich, yet tangy palate showcases flavors of nectarine, lemon curd and brioche with a long lip-smacking finish. Pair this with a roast chicken, a thick pork chop or just good friends.
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
Lush and creamy, with bright pear and toasty oak; rich, complex, and fruit-forward.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2019 Bouchaine Estate Chardonnay brings incredible intensity to the fore with a decidedly Carneros style. TASTING NOTES: This wine offers aromas and flavors of sandalwood, dried earth, chalky notes, and ripe apples. Enjoy it with steamed crab in a decadent cream sauce. (Tasted: July 18, 2022, San Francisco, CA)
Bouchaine Vineyards is established in the site of the oldest continually operated winery in Carneros in the southern end of the Napa Valley. Bouchaine is dedicated to the pursuit of enticing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, whose grapes are best suited to the climate and soils of our beautiful 100-acre estate vineyard. Located just north of the San Pablo and San Francisco Bays, the vineyard climate is directly influenced by the fog that rolls in each night, and the shallow, clay loam soils are perfectly suited to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
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.