Winemaker Notes
The Sisters Selection Chardonnay is named after our clear-eyed, hardworking eldest daughter who oversees the winery as Vice President of Business Operations.
This Chardonnay has a decadent nose of apricot, vanilla, and caramel notes to greet the senses. On the palate this wine bursts with flavors of apple and pear and shows the oak influence with hints of toast and baking spices - almost like your favorite apple pie! The winemaking style preserves acidity despite the rich flavors and aromas, making this a medium-bodied, food-friendly wine.
A hearty salad topped with orchard fruits, barbecue chicken, or local cheese spread would certainly make this wine shine.
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
Tropical aromas of lychees, lemon curd and dried mangoes. The palate is medium-bodied with a creamy texture and a slight phenolic edge, giving notes of baking spices, pineapple and red apple skin.
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.