Winemaker Notes
Pairs beautifully with grilled cod, whole lobster with butter, roasted lemon chicken, pasta with béchamel sauce, asparagus risotto, and various goat cheeses.
Blend: 100% Chardonnay
Professional Ratings
-
Wine & Spirits
Darrin Low blends this organically farmed fruit from two estate vineyards—Walraven in the hills above Boonville (61 percent) and Dach, surrounding the winery in Philo (39 percent). The wine ferments without added yeasts in barrels (10 percent new), then ages in them for 10 months, where the flavors concentrate into an earthy, airy, long and graceful chardonnay at 12.5 percent alcohol. The fruit has a range of citrus notes, from orange zest to lime pith and light, dusty tannins carrying notes of lemon meringue, giving a sweet and savory end. Pour it with roasted wild mushrooms, like chicken of the woods.
-
Wine Spectator
Offers firm, appealing acidity at the core, with notes of apple blossoms, nectarine, lemon and pineapple, plus a hint of mango. Details of white tea, almond skin and Asian pear linger on the finish, as does a hint of lemon verbena. Drink now. 360 cases made.
-
Decanter
A textural Chardonnay with crystalline purity and plenty of tension to balance out the rich fruit flavours. Wet river stones, a saline brightness, white flowers and springtime herbs are interlaced with apricot, white peach, and lemon oil on this medium-bodied, expressive Chardonnay. Organically farmed grapes are hand-picked at night from three estate-grown and organic vineyards in Anderson Valley, near the towns of Boonville, Philo and Navarro along the Navarro River. Whole-cluster pressed, the grapes were allowed to fully oxidise before racking to barrel off the gross lees. Entirely barrel-fermented and aged 10 months in oak, of which just four percent is new.
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.