Winemaker Notes
Continuing to hold true to its Old World roots of brightness, minerality and racy freshness, this Estate Chardonnay tastes of pomelos, Fuji apples and lemon curd with a subtle hint of toasted oak.
Enjoy with grilled shellfish, spring salads, or just kicking back under a shade tree on a hot summer afternoon.
Blend: 100% Chardonnay
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
Vanilla wafer and fresh rainwater leave a clean flavor on the tongue, paving the way for notes of lemon drop and linen, Light as a down pillow, the honeyed liquid possesses an innate delicacy
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Wine & Spirits
The Bundschu family farms 32 acres of chardonnay at the base of their Rhinefarm vineyard, the coolest portion where the oldest block dates to 1970 and the rest are still in their teens. They ferment 20 percent in stainless steel, the rest in used barrels, allowing the scents of white flowers and the zesty fruit to shine. Jason Jacobeit, of NYC’s Bâtard and Somm Cellars, described it as a wine with “discretion and textural appeal.
Wine and Spirits Year's Best US Chardonnay -
Wine Enthusiast
Layered and rich, this wine exudes flavors of green apple and buttered popcorn, with moderate acidity and oak in supporting roles. A baking spice accent adds to the warmth and appeal.
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 vast appellation covering Sonoma County’s Pacific coastline, the Sonoma Coast AVA runs all the way from the Mendocino County border, south to the San Pablo Bay. The region can actually be divided into two sections—the actual coastal vineyards, marked by marine soils, cool temperatures and saline ocean breezes—and the warmer, drier vineyards further inland, which are still heavily influenced by the Pacific but not quite with same intensity.
Contained within the appellation are the much smaller Fort Ross-Seaview and Petaluma Gap AVAs.
The Sonoma Coast is highly regarded for elegant Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and, increasingly, cool-climate Syrah. The wines have high acidity, moderate alcohol, firm tannin, and balanced ripeness.