Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Although the challenging vintage resulted in just a half-ton per acre of Chardonnay in this dry appellation (a third of its normal yield), this wine is fantastic. Flinty and smoky aromas lead to Gala apple, white peach and lemon peel on the nose, while the palate combines salt, grapefruit pith and seared apple flavors. A sharp line of acidity brings it all into balance.
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Wine Spectator
A focused and refined white, with hints of chamomile to the white cherry, elderflower and white peach flavors. The crisp finish is filled with notes of dried green herbs.
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.
At elevations reaching well over 2,000 feet, the Mt. Harlan AVA in the Gabilan Range is an anomaly among its surrounding Central Coast appellations. Recognizing the splendor of the area and its ideal limestone-rich soils, Josh Jensen chose Mt. Harlan as the home of his Calera Wine Company in the 1970s. Awarded his own AVA in 1990, Calera is the only commercial winery in the appellation.