Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: I have always found the Russian River Valley AVA to produce some of California's most flavorful Chardonnays, but sometimes the wines seem to be a bit too much for my palate to take. The 2017 Davis Family Vineyards Chardonnay shows excellent balance making the wine an excellent candidate for fine food pairings. TASTING NOTES. This wine is bright, long, and crisp. Its aromas and flavors of ripe apples, a judicious amount of oak, and a touch of creaminess make it an excellent pairing choice with shellfish in a cream sauce. (Tasted: September 10, 2018, San Francisco, CA)
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James Suckling
This has a ripe and rich palate with a floral edge, as well as cool, peach flavors and a wave of savory cashew nuts at the 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.
A standout region for its decidedly Californian take on Burgundian varieties, the Russian River Valley is named for the eponymous river that flows through it. While there are warm pockets of the AVA, it is mostly a cool-climate growing region thanks to breezes and fog from the nearby Pacific Ocean.
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir reign supreme in Russian River, with the best examples demonstrating a unique combination of richness and restraint. The cool weather makes Russian River an ideal AVA for sparkling wine production, utilizing the aforementioned varieties. Zinfandel also performs exceptionally well here. Within the Russian River Valley lie the smaller appellations of Chalk Hill and Green Valley. The former, farther from the ocean, is relatively warm, with a focus on red and white Bordeaux varieties. The latter is the coolest, foggiest parcel of the Russian River Valley and is responsible for outstanding Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.