Winemaker Notes
Aromas of fresh spring flowers intermingle with hints of ripe melons, tropical fruits, and baking spices. On the palate, notes of mango, guava, white peach and grapefruit are layered with touches of fresh lemon tart, dried coconut, and roasted macadamia nuts. A smooth texture and vibrant acidity add to the long crisp finish.
Enjoy with a variety of tangy cheeses, prosciutto wrapped melon or butternut squash soup. For heavier dishes, pair with roasted chicken with fresh herbs or pork chops with tropical salsa.
Blend: 100% Chardonnay
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
Aged nine months in French oak, this modern, edgy white offers keen acidity and a spark of white pepper. Salty pear and minerality reinforce the vibrancy of lemon zest and garden herbs.
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Wine Enthusiast
Well-balanced, subtly fruity and topped with light oak spices like ginger and toast, this well-made wine opens up slowly in the glass and should continue to improve through 2025.
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.