Winemaker Notes
Medium gold-green hue. Aromas unfold in a rich, airy lift of toasted marshmallow, honey and pear with layers of warm oak, caramel and brown sugar. The palate is broad and opulent, with flavors of ripe peaches, lemon cream and roasted hazelnut. A powerful, rounded texture has both weight and vibrancy, balancing between richness and freshness. Finish is long with bright citrus and honey notes.
This Chardonnay will pair beautifully with roast chicken with lemon, garlic, and thyme, tripe cream Brie, aged Gouda, Comté, and butternut squash risotto.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Sublime aromatics suggest green apple, citrus, florals, alpine botanicals, dried herbs, and a dash of French oak on the nose of this wine. The palate delivers crisp yellow apple, lemon curd, white nectarine, pink grapefruit rind, and supple acidity on the finish.
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James Suckling
Yellow apples, Meyer lemons and toasted marshmallows on the nose. The light- to medium-bodied palate balances creaminess with flavors of citrus, crushed white nuts and almond skin. Notes of savory herbs and ginger as well. A pleasant, easy-drinking, good-value wine.
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.