Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Butter, hazelnut and marzipan aromas give a lush first impression, and then vibrant lemon and green-apple acidity provides a firm, balancing effect. This bright-gold, full-bodied wine is concentrated, layered and deep, without being too rich or heavy. Subtle nuances of nutmeg and ginger add to its complexity on the finish.
Editor's Choice -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2015 Chardonnay Ryo-fu gives toasty oak, honey-nut and butterscotch notes over a guava, honeydew melon and pineapple scented core. Medium-bodied, it offers mouth-filling tropical fruit and oak inspired flavors with a lively line of acid and good length. It is a little old-school, yet nicely done.
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Wine Spectator
A rich, unctuous expression of tropical fruit, with layers of nectarine, tangerine, lemon, lime and tart white peach notes. Tight and expressive, still ragged around the edges and shy on finesse, yet the authority of the flavors propels this forward.
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.