Winemaker Notes
Balancing lovely textural richness with finely tuned acidity, this radiant Chardonnay displays aromas of apricot, tropical flowers, lemon zest and lychee, with hints of crème fraiche, melted butter and baking spices adding depth and complexity to the fruit-driven aromas. On the palate, a lush, creamy texture frames the ripe citrus flavors, with subtle layers of French oak and baking spices lingering on the long, silky finish. Aromatically the wine has notes of meyer lemon, orange zest, and a hint of tropical flowers. On the palate the wine is creamy with notes of melted butter, and brioche, as well as fruity flavors of lemon, lychee, and apricot with lingering notes of fine tobacco smoke.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2022 Chardonnay Chappellet Grower Collection Calesa Vineyard is an impressive Chardonnay coming from the Petaluma Gap. It pours a bright yellow/silver hue and offers a fruity and fresh personality on opening, with notes of lemon curd, delicate toast, fresh flowers, and poached apples. It brings a lot of exuberance and intensity on the palate, with an excellent balance of freshness and decadence, a silky texture, full-bodied richness, refreshing acidity, and a mineral-tinged finish.
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Wine Spectator
This taut and juicy version's refreshing acidity highlights details of orange blossoms, lemon meringue and fresh-cut apple, along with hints of yuzu and lemon verbena. A note of salted butter shortbread lingers. Drink now. 1,200 cases made.
The Chappellets' romance with Pritchard Hill began when Donn and Molly Chappellet first glimpsed the mountain's spectacular vistas in the late 1960s. Inspired by the notion that Bacchus loves the hills, Donn and Molly followed the advice of legendary winemaker André Tchelistcheff and settled on the rocky eastern slopes of the Napa Valley. There, on the mountain’s serene and picturesque hillsides, the Chappellets established their home and winery, raising their children and cultivating the vineyards.
Since being founded by Donn and Molly in 1967, Chappellet has earned acclaim championing the robust power and complexity of wines crafted from mountain grapes. At the same time, Chappellet has helped to establish Pritchard Hill as one of California’s most revered winegrowing sites. To honor the mountain's rich, expressive character, the winemaking team focuses on creating extraordinary, age-worthy Cabernet Sauvignons that embody the intensity and finesse of fruit from Pritchard Hill.
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 vast appellation covering Sonoma County’s Pacific coastline, the Sonoma Coast AVA runs all the way from the Mendocino County border, south to the San Pablo Bay. The region can actually be divided into two sections—the actual coastal vineyards, marked by marine soils, cool temperatures and saline ocean breezes—and the warmer, drier vineyards further inland, which are still heavily influenced by the Pacific but not quite with same intensity.
Contained within the appellation are the much smaller Fort Ross-Seaview and Petaluma Gap AVAs.
The Sonoma Coast is highly regarded for elegant Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and, increasingly, cool-climate Syrah. The wines have high acidity, moderate alcohol, firm tannin, and balanced ripeness.