Winemaker Notes
The 2022 Estate Chardonnay is fragrant with aromas of ginger, Meyer lemon, and subtle marzipan, complemented by a hint of pie crust, the wine offers vibrant citrus tones on the palate, mingling with crisp Granny Smith apple, peach, apricot, honeydew melon, and fresh pear. Embracing its fruit-forward nature, this Chardonnay boasts a well-rounded character and finishes with a refreshing, evocative hint of cool ocean breeze.
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
Based on its level of detail and capacity for improvement with additional time in bottle, this impressive wine from an advantageously cool vintage is better than most $50 Chardonnays. Prominent barrel notes of baking spices, clove, and natural vanilla are appealing and in balance with the fruit, which is rich and ripe but energized by lively, well-integrated acidity.
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James Suckling
While full of ripe apple, brown butter and vanilla bean flavors, this well-balanced, full-bodied wine also offers lively acidity and enticing mineral notes. Baked apples and nutmeg, then chalk and flint accents build on the palate and linger in the finish. Drink or hold.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
Cuvaison has always been one of my favorite Chardonnay producers, and the 2022 vintage, with its aromas and flavors of fragrant peach skin, hints of sandalwood, and a trace of oak, is as good as I remember past vintages. Pour a glass at sunset and enjoy it with Hamachi. (Tasted: January 5, 2025, San Francisco, CA)
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Wine Spectator
Fresh at the core, showing Meyer lemon, ripe melon, mango and peach flavors. Accents of candied ginger, toasted almond and dried lemon basil add complexity, with a juicy and spicy 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.