Winemaker Notes
Exceptionally bright and refreshing with mineral-driven aromatics, 2020 Signature Chardonnay unfurls on the palate with voluminous citrus notes. Crisp quince, Granny Smith apple, and tangy lemon curd flavors take center stage on the impressively weighted mid-palate, framed by classic yet delicate notes of toasted brioche and hazelnut. Despite its largesse, the wine is impeccably balanced, finishing as it begins with delightful acidity and nuances of wet stone and slate.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2020 Chardonnay is a big, lush effort delivering rocking stone fruits as well as some spicy, toasty nuances that emerge with time in the glass. Medium to full-bodied, textured, and balanced, it leans on its fruit while staying lively and fresh. It's a terrific wine.
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Connoisseurs' Guide
Regardless of variety, the wines of Darioush can be counted on for delivering a good deal of richness, and this solidly fruited youngster does just that. It is ripe and slightly fleshy with notes of toast and roasted grains to its dominant theme of fully ripe apples. It is both fairly full-bodied and still just a bit angular in feel with a turn of slightly elevated acidity marking its long, ever so slightly chalky finish, and, if service with food in the immediate term will help in a big way to soften its edges, so, too, will another few years of additional time on the cork which is what we see as the better option yet.
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.
One of the world's most highly regarded regions for wine production as well as tourism, the Napa Valley was responsible for bringing worldwide recognition to California winemaking. In the 1960s, a few key wine families settled the area and hedged their bets on the valley's world-class winemaking potential—and they were right.
The Napa wine industry really took off in the 1980s, when producers scooped up vineyard lands and planted vines throughout the county. A number of wineries emerged, and today Napa is home to hundreds of producers ranging from boutique to corporate. Cabernet Sauvignon is definitely the grape of choice here, with many winemakers also focusing on Bordeaux blends. White wines from Napa Valley are usually Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
Within the Napa Valley lie many smaller sub-AVAs that claim specific wine characteristics based on situation, slope and soil. Farthest south and coolest from the influence of the San Pablo Bay is Carneros, followed by Coombsville to its northeast and then Yountville, Oakville and Rutherford. Above those are the warm St. Helena and the valley's newest and hottest AVA, Calistoga. These areas follow the valley floor and are known generally for creating rich, dense, complex and smooth red wines with good aging potential. The mountain sub appellations, nestled on the slopes overlooking the valley AVAs, include Stags Leap District, Atlas Peak, Chiles Valley (farther east), Howell Mountain, Mt. Veeder, Spring Mountain District and Diamond Mountain District. Napa Valley wines from the mountain regions are often more structured and firm, benefiting from a lot of time in the bottle to evolve and soften.