Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2014 Chardonnay Seascape Vineyard is from one of the coldest vineyards in all of Northern California. On a ridge top close to the town of Occidental, facing Bodega Bay in the Pacific Ocean, it is often the last to ripen – and sometimes as late as late October or November. A deep golden color, exotic tropical fruits, crushed rocks, and an almost saltiness characterize this rather nutty and strikingly Mersault-like Chardonnay that will be somewhat controversial compared to the more classic aromas and flavors of the other five offerings, but it is still a brilliant, somewhat idiosyncratic Chardonnay in the lineup of the Hartford Court wines. Drink it over the next 4-5 years.
Barrel Sample: 91-93
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.