Winemaker Notes
Dark Horse Buttery Chardonnay highlights the same full-bodied, oaky taste profile found in the world’s top Chardonnays, featuring buttery notes of vanilla and cream with a smooth finish.
Mirror Dark Horse Buttery Chardonnay’s silky taste and texture with creamy soup or seafood butter sauce.
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
Scents of toasty oak and lemon cookie give way to a creamy mouthfeel that goes deep. Buttered popcorn, pineapple upside-down cake, and a dollop of crème fraîche leave us longing for that next sip.
California’s most praised white wine, Chardonnay is also the state’s most planted white grape variety. Diverse terrain and microclimates allow for an incredible range of wine styles.
Chardonnay planted in the cooler, coastal zones takes on bright characteristics like lemon zest, key lime, green apple and wet flint. For this style, look to the chilly Sonoma Coast, Carneros, Santa Cruz Mountains, Santa Lucia Highlands and Edna Valley.
The inland zones of California’s coast, such as the Russian River, Sonoma, Napa and Livermore Valleys maintain a more Goldilocks-esque climate where both styles go. Early picking retains acidity and creates a leaner style but leaving the grapes to hang creates an approachable Chardonnay, balancing richness and finesse.
Chardonnay also plays a major part in the sparkling wine production of the Anderson Valley and Carneros.