Winemaker Notes
The 2018 Anderson Valley Chardonnay expresses precise lemon zest and crushed shells with notes of juniper, just-ripe melon and struck flint. The palate is headlined with racy acidity, coupled with citrus flavors and an expressive minerality. Well textured and structured, this Chardonnay fully expresses the beautiful sun and cool temperatures of Anderson Valley. Beautiful in its youth, we expect this Chardonnay to age gracefully and improve over the next 5+ years.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This is a flinty, smooth and hightoned wine, made well and in a light, bright style. Citrus-driven, it has layers of lemon, grapefruit and blood orange that lead to briny oyster shell and nuanced oak.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2018 Brick & Mortar Anderson Valley Chardonnay shows abundant fruit and a frisky palate. TASTING NOTES: This wine is rich and active. Its charming aromas and flavors of mineral and dried apple should pair perfectly with Dungeness crab in a swirl of fresh greens. (Tasted: March 9, 2020, 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.
Surrounded by redwood forests and often blanketed in chilly, ocean fog, the Anderson Valley is one of California’s most picturesque appellations. During the growing season, moist, cool, late afternoon air flows in from the Pacific Ocean along the Navarro River and over the valley's golden, oak-studded hills. High and low temperatures can vary as much as 40 or 50 degrees within a single day, allowing for slow and gentle ripening of grapes, which will in turn create elegantly balanced wines.
The Anderson Valley is best known for Pinot Noir made in a range of styles from delicate and floral to powerful and concentrated. Chardonnay also shines here, and both varieties are often utilized for the production of some of California’s best traditional method sparkling wines. The region also draws inspiration from Alsace and produces excellent Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris.