Winemaker Notes
This wine pairs perfectly with Asian pear salad, halibut and lemon beurre blanc and toast almond cake.
Blend: 100% Chardonnay
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Made from all estate-grown grapes on the Sonoma side of Chardonnay, this lush, ripe and creamy wine is part of a renaissance for one of Sonoma’s 20th-century pioneers. Beautiful pear and juicy apple notes blend with hints of lemon zest, butter and vanilla. Barrel-fermented and beautiful.
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Jeb Dunnuck
A bright yellow color, the 2022 Chardonnay Carneros is expressive and refined on the nose, with notes of honeyed citrus, tangerine, golden apples, and waxy Marcona almonds. Full-bodied and very appealing on the palate, it casts a wide net, as it retains good freshness and doesn’t feel cloying or heavy.
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Wine Enthusiast
This complex and vibrant wine displays honeysuckle and tropical citrus aromas on the nose. The palate strikes a balance between ripe flavors of pineapple, orange and pomelo, and baked apple energy. A pleasing saline quality emerges on the finish.
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.
Known for elegant wines that combine power and finesse, Carneros is set in the rolling hills that straddle the southernmost parts of both Sonoma and Napa counties. The cooling winds from the abutting San Pablo Bay, combined with lots of midday California sunshine, create an ideal environment for producing wines with a perfect balance of crisp acidity and well-ripened fruit.
This cooler pocket of California lends itself to growing Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah. Carneros is an important source of sparkling wines made in the style of Champagne as well.