Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
More brioche, honeysuckle, pineapple, and caramelized citrus notes all emerge from the 2018 Chardonnay Four Hearts Vineyards, which is beautifully balanced, medium to full-bodied, and textured on the palate. It shows the more supple, easygoing style of the vintage for Chardonnay yet still has beautiful freshness, good concentration, and a great finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Already bottled, the 2018 Chardonnay Four Hearts Vineyard features bold baked pears, fresh Golden Delicious apples and lemonade scents with touches of chalk dust and allspice. Medium-bodied, the palate has a racy line lifting the apple and pear flavors, finishing on a chalky note. 2,100 cases were made. Rating: 93+
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Wine Spectator
Shows verve, with savory herbal shadings to the crunchy green apple and lemon-lime flavors. Fresh acidity powers the juicy finish. Drink now through 2023.
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.