Winemaker Notes
Aromas of Granny Smith apple, lemon citrus and a note of saline sea spray. The palate is crisp and focused with flavors of tangerine and verbena and thyme herbal savory notes. A vibrant acidity yields to a lively and refreshing finish.
Pairs beautifully with grilled cod, whole lobster with butter, roasted lemon chicken, pasta with béchamel sauce, asparagus risotto, and various goat cheeses.
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2019 Chardonnay Estate is a bright, fresh style with understated new oak. It has a nose of baked apples, lemon and dark spices. The medium-bodied palate offers more savory tones at this stage, with some phenolic texture balancing its juicy acidity, and it finishes long and mineral driven. This will pair well with a range of cuisines. Best After 2022
-
James Suckling
Lovely aromas of baking spice, fresh hay and sliced grapefruit. Medium-bodied with steady, bright acidity. Rather well balanced. Succulent citrus and fresh herbs on the palate.
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.
Surrounded by redwood forests and often blanketed in chilly, ocean fog, the Anderson Valley is one of California’s most picturesque appellations. During the growing season, moist, cool, late afternoon air flows in from the Pacific Ocean along the Navarro River and over the valley's golden, oak-studded hills. High and low temperatures can vary as much as 40 or 50 degrees within a single day, allowing for slow and gentle ripening of grapes, which will in turn create elegantly balanced wines.
The Anderson Valley is best known for Pinot Noir made in a range of styles from delicate and floral to powerful and concentrated. Chardonnay also shines here, and both varieties are often utilized for the production of some of California’s best traditional method sparkling wines. The region also draws inspiration from Alsace and produces excellent Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris.