Winemaker Notes
Cuvaison's Carneros Chardonnay comes from our 400-acre estate in the southern part of Napa Valley. This cool climate vineyard allows us nearly perfect conditions year after year to produce world class Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Merlot. Controlling all farming aspects within our own vineyard gives Cuvaison an advantage in producing the best quality fruit therefore minimizing over manipulation at the winery. Winemaker Steven Rogstad sums it up best, "My style and philosophy are based on expressing the unique character of our estate grapes and doing as little as possible to them. When one has such wonderful fruit to work with, that should be one's emphasis."
"A very pretty wine... strives for elegance and finesse, which it achieves. The peach and pineapple fruit flavors are accented by vanilla, buttered toast and cinnamon. Impresses for its sense of harmony and balance."
-Wine Enthusiast
Professional Ratings
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.