Winemaker Notes
Light straw to gold in color, the Carneros Chardonnay opens with classic aromas of lemon, apple and lime, with an intriguing hint of cinnamon. The palate is mineral focused, with peach and Asian pear joined by white pepper. Crisp and intense, the finish leaves a lingering spice note held together with elegant acidity.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This is a chardonnay that has depth and polish with a phenolic tension that takes you the length of the wine. Cooked apple and pear with some stone character. Extremely long and focused. Purity with texture. From organically grown grapes.
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Wine Spectator
This elegant version opens with lush flavors of lemon meringue pie and peach preserves, plus a hint of Nilla wafer, on a creamy frame. Details of orange blossoms and preserved ginger join a fresh pop of acidity, keeping the well-defined flavors light on their feet and lingering through the long finish. Drink now through 2032.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Presenting a youthful yellow hue, the 2021 Chardonnay Carneros is ripe and forward with sun-kissed fruit of ripe pineapple, lime zest, and white flowers. Full-bodied with ripe fresh fruit, honeyed citrus, ripe apple, and baking spice, it’s opulent and ripe, with a bit of nuttiness on the finish. Drink it over the next few years.
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.
Known for elegant wines that combine power and finesse, Carneros is set in the rolling hills that straddle the southernmost parts of both Sonoma and Napa counties. The cooling winds from the abutting San Pablo Bay, combined with lots of midday California sunshine, create an ideal environment for producing wines with a perfect balance of crisp acidity and well-ripened fruit.
This cooler pocket of California lends itself to growing Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah. Carneros is an important source of sparkling wines made in the style of Champagne as well.