Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2016 Chardonnay Three Jacks Vineyard comes from the cooler Green Valley region of the Russian River Valley and was fermented and aged 16 months in 30% new French oak. It has a deeper, darker, slightly more earthy and mineral-laced style in its stone fruits, brioche, honeysuckle, and hazelnut aromas and flavors. It's deep, rich, and powerful, with beautiful depth of fruit and a thrilling finish. It's a gem in this lineup.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Hartford Court Chardonnay Three Jacks Vineyard gives up beautiful lemon curd, peach preserves and guava scents with suggestions of pineapple, allspice and brioche. Full-bodied, rich and seductive, it delivers mouth-filling stone fruit and tropical layers with a satiny texture and a long, ginger-laced finish. 327 cases produced.
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Wine Spectator
Well-structured and juicy, with focused white fruit and dried coconut flavors, featuring creamy accents. The spicy finish is rich, showing hints of dried tarragon. 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.
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.