Winemaker Notes
The 2016 Fog Dance displays bright aromas of citrus oil, peach pit and orange blossom. The flavors of mandarin orange, white peach and preserved lemon meld together with a mineral-driven finish, reflecting its cool Green Valley terroir.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Coming from the Green Valley region of the Russian River, the 2016 Chardonnay Fog Dance Vineyard was fermented and aged in just 17% new French oak, with the balance all in used barrels. It's an exotic, melon, brioche, and citrus pith-scented effort that has a touch of reduction that lends a beautiful sense of complexity. Rich and powerful on the palate, with medium to full-bodied richness, nicely integrated acidity, and a big finish, it's another wine that has one foot in the Russian River and one foot in Burgundy.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Hartford Court Chardonnay Fog Dance Vineyard reveals gregarious pink grapefruit, apple pie and green mango notions with nuances of marzipan, crusty bread and wet pebbles. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is solidly structured with great freshness, lifting the intense, tightly wound layers to a long earthy/minerally finish.
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.
Situated on the foggier and colder western edge of the Russian River Valley, almost abutting the Sonoma Coast appellation, Green Valley is one of California’s most reputable Chardonnay and Pinot noir producing regions. It is also a wonderful source of sparkling wines made from these varieties.
Goldridge soils abound throughout the Green Valley appellation. This fine, dark, sandy loam and fractured sandstone is derived from the remains of ancient inland seabeds dating back three to five million years. It is valuable for high quality grape growing because of its excellent drainage and low fertility.