Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Another Russian River release, the 2019 Chardonnay Four Hearts Vineyard brings plenty of ripe tropical fruit as well as medium to full body, a supple, layered mouthfeel, nicely integrated acidity, and building spice, toast, and green almond nuances. It's another thrilling, brilliant Chardonnay from this estate.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2019 Chardonnay Four Hearts Vineyard was 100% barrel fermented in French oak barrels, 31% new, and aged for 9.5 months. It strides confidently out of the glass with bold, ripe pear and peach notes, plus wafts of pineapple, wet clay, honey toast and fennel seed and a touch of nutmeg. Medium-bodied, the palate is refreshing with a slight phenolic grip to the texture and a long, steely finish.
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Wine Enthusiast
Lushly tropical with a richness of crème brûlée, this wine is made from several sites in the Laguna Ridge neighborhood of the appellation. Generous oak supports the layering opulence and spiciness, offering a voluptuous expression of the grape.
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Wine Spectator
Well-structured, with rich acidity to the fresh-cut apple and Asian pear flavors that show savory richness. Sage cream accents fill the contoured finish. Drink now.
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.