Winemaker Notes
This bright and balanced wine perfectly reflects the cool climate Russian River Valley vineyard where it was grown. Brilliant yellow-gold color, with honey, pear, apple, pineapple, lemon oil, damp soil and white flower aromas, and a hint of vanillin oak. The wine opens brightly with lushly textured tropical fruit that transitions to citrus – lemon and lime – and tree – apple, apricot, and nectarine
– fruit on the full-bodied mid-palate. Medium acidity turns lightly saline on the lively and bouncy finish of this delicious Chardonnay.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Caramel apple aromas and butterscotch flavors lend a rich, indulgent expression to this full-bodied and lush-textured wine. The price is great, too, for a Russian River wine of this quality
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Wine & Spirits
Citrus comes first—lime and lemon, the yellow fruit of Buddha’s hand. Then there’s an intriguing salty savor, like a mouthwatering veal stock. A savory and fresh white, this will contribute its depth of flavor to a roast chicken.
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James Suckling
Fresh lemon zest and pineapples, with some praline notes from the fine, creamy oak toast. Fresh and flavorful with a zesty, medium-bodied palate before a long, creamy finish.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Dense aromas of pear, green apple, and peach play around a floral dash of honeysuckle in the 2021 Chardonnay, which is medium-bodied, nicely textured, and well-made. Creamy, it finishes fresh and just slightly salty in nature.
Created by winemaker Derek Rohlffs, Bravium is the culmination of meticulous care in the vineyards and a patient approach in the cellar. Derek takes his cues from tradition. He doesn’t alter what the earth gives him. He’s a classic minimalist.
But don’t mistake minimalism for apathy. Quietly guiding a wine in a thoughtful, deliberate way—without intervening at every twist and turn—requires diligent attention to detail and a generous amount of restraint. The wine in the glass is born of a deeply purposeful approach. It is a gift of the land, valued and honored.
Derek grows Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes in coveted cool-climate vineyards in Sonoma’s Russian River Valley and Mendocino’s Anderson Valley.
Derek’s minimalist approach translates the nuances of each coastal vineyard in the glass, illustrating a distinct, transparent sense of place in every sip. The result is a collection of compelling, terroir-driven wines that pair naturally with food and have rare aging potential, relative to their Chardonnay and Pinot Noir peers.
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.