Winemaker Notes
Aromatically the wine is full of salty sea air from the proximity of the ocean, as well as lingering notes of sweet Meyer lemon. On the palate, the wine has notes of bay leaf, orange blossoms and has a zippy, long finish.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2022 Chardonnay Estate Vineyard is a prime example of how well-suited some sites on the West Sonoma Coast are to Chardonnay. Bright and finely cut, with terrific depth, the 2022 is seriously impressive. Lemon peel, crushed rocks, white pepper, jasmine and mint abound. This crystalline, translucent Chardonnay is superb.
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Wine Enthusiast
Minerality and tension reign in this offering of biodynamically farmed, higher-elevation, coastal Chardonnay. The nose gives aromas of apple blossom, Meyer lemon and river rock, while the palate exhibits vibrant tension between lime pith acidity, salty mineral and apricot flavors that evolve and linger in waves for over a minute. Drink 2026–2040.
Cellar Selection -
Decanter
Richly aromatic, this wine has deep honey tones that meld with ripe stone fruits and the ever-present Sonoma Coast sea air minerality. The palate shows an entry of juicy Meyer lemon pulp, honeyed apricot flesh, and a hint of oak-driven nutmeg spice. It is deliciously decadent yet balanced with the saline backbone that is the signature of the appellation.
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.
Running north to south, adjacent to the Willamette River, the Eola-Amity Hills AVA has shallow and well-drained soils created from ancient lava flows (called Jory), marine sediments, rocks and alluvial deposits. These soils force vine roots to dig deep, producing small grapes with great concentration.
Like in the McMinnville sub-AVA, cold Pacific air streams in via the Van Duzer Corridor and assists the maintenance of higher acidity in its grapes. This great concentration, combined with marked acidity, give the Eola-Amity Hills wines—namely Pinot noir—their distinct character. While the region covers 40,000 acres, no more than 1,400 acres are covered in vine.