Winemaker Notes
From a truly great growing season, this Chardonnay is sourced from select vineyards in the acclaimed Russian River Valley region of Sonoma County, where the cool climate allows the grapes to develop ripe, rich flavors, while maintaining a bright and refreshing acidity. Bright citrus, stone fruit and tropical melon notes are surrounded by a creamy, toasted oak finish. Bright acidity and a smooth mouthfeel are a dynamic duo on the palate.
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
Toasty lees scents wrap this wine until the fruit races forward, simple in its green-grape persistence. It’s fresh and gracious, a formidable partner for roast salmon.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2016 B.R. Cohn Silver Label Chardonnay is fresh, bright, and frisky. TASTING NOTES: This wine designed to show off its fruit. Enjoy its zesty ripe fruit and savory spice accents with panko-coated Petrale. (Tasted: December 10, 2019, 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.
A standout region for its decidedly Californian take on Burgundian varieties, the Russian River Valley is named for the eponymous river that flows through it. While there are warm pockets of the AVA, it is mostly a cool-climate growing region thanks to breezes and fog from the nearby Pacific Ocean.
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir reign supreme in Russian River, with the best examples demonstrating a unique combination of richness and restraint. The cool weather makes Russian River an ideal AVA for sparkling wine production, utilizing the aforementioned varieties. Zinfandel also performs exceptionally well here. Within the Russian River Valley lie the smaller appellations of Chalk Hill and Green Valley. The former, farther from the ocean, is relatively warm, with a focus on red and white Bordeaux varieties. The latter is the coolest, foggiest parcel of the Russian River Valley and is responsible for outstanding Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.