Winemaker Notes
The intensely fragrant 2020 DAOU Reserve Chardonnay offers enticing aromas of Asian pear, honeysuckle, Granny Smith apple, smoky oak and warm buttered toast. Hints of pineapple, vanilla cream, hazelnut and ginger round out the luscious nose. A voluptuous, succulent palate displays flavors of lemon meringue pie, pineapple, toasted almonds, and honeydew melon. Subtle notes of nutmeg, baked spiced apples and nectarine unfold along a rich, silky texture. This fleshy, weighty Chardonnay ultimately finishes long and clean, with delightfully lingering flavors of lemon chiffon, tangerine and vanilla bean.
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.
Growing on high elevation bedrock slopes, the vineyards of Paso Robles Willow Creek AVA sit at between 960 and 1,900 feet in elevation.