Winemaker Notes
The vineyards represented in this bottling are a stellar depiction of quality farming, mature vines and the distinct terroir of cool climates that are graced with the sunshine Chardonnay craves. Roughly 75% of the grapes used in this bottling are estate grown and farmed.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2017 Chardonnay Estate Vineyard comes from the Fort Ross-Seaview appellation out on the Sonoma Coast and offers more exotic notes of lemon curd, quince, and orchard fruits. It’s rounded, beautifully textured, has nicely integrated acidity, and flawless balance. There are only 200 cases, but it’s a beauty.
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.
On the far western edge of the larger Sonoma Coast appellation, the Fort Ross-Seaview AVA hugs right up against the Pacific coast. Vineyards, planted at rugged elevations between 920 to 1,800 feet, occupy only two percent of the total land in the AVA. Fort Ross-Seaview growers believe that the region boasts an ideal mix of sunshine, cool air and beneficial stress for producing high quality Chardonnay and Pinot noir.