Chateau Souverain Chardonnay 2016
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Wine
Enthusiast - Decanter
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Wine Enthusiast
This is a flavorful wine that combines vivid fruit flavors and judicious use of oak for a great sense of balance and composition. Butter, vanilla and pear aromas precede almond and baking spice flavors that are nicely backed by more pear and apple.
Best Buy -
Decanter
A really elegant Californian Chardonnay that's miles away from the oaky, high-alcohol blockbusters of old. From winemaker Ed Killian, using the best lots of cool-climate fruit, it's full bodied and forward, packed with mango, pineapple and spiced pear. Complexity comes from part fermentation in oak, followed by lees ageing and bâtonnage, giving a creamy texture and a caramel popcorn length. Drinking Window 2018 - 2021
Other Vintages
2017-
Wine
Enthusiast
California’s most praised white wine, Chardonnay is also the state’s most planted white grape variety. Diverse terrain and microclimates allow for an incredible range of wine styles.
Chardonnay planted in the cooler, coastal zones takes on bright characteristics like lemon zest, key lime, green apple and wet flint. For this style, look to the chilly Sonoma Coast, Carneros, Santa Cruz Mountains, Santa Lucia Highlands and Edna Valley.
The inland zones of California’s coast, such as the Russian River, Sonoma, Napa and Livermore Valleys maintain a more Goldilocks-esque climate where both styles go. Early picking retains acidity and creates a leaner style but leaving the grapes to hang creates an approachable Chardonnay, balancing richness and finesse.
Chardonnay also plays a major part in the sparkling wine production of the Anderson Valley and Carneros.