Winemaker Notes
The Su’skol vineyard is carefully farmed to emphasize fruit with wonderful acidity and balance. Crisp and clean our Chardonnay showcases the moderate temperatures influenced by nearby San Pablo Bay. The multiple clones display an aromatic musqué, resulting in aromas and flavors of apple, white pear and a slight touch of tropical fruits, accented by aromas of honeysuckle. We ferment only a small portion in new French Oak, and allow just a portion (28%) to undergo secondary fermentation, showcasing fruit and a round, rich mouthfeel from bâttonage over several weeks.
It is a wonderful on its own, with appetizers, or as an integral part of nearly any menu.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Honeysuckle, peach-blossom, lemon-curd and melon aromas. A more floral and tropical expression of chardonnay, it’s full-bodied with creamy layers of fruit. Delicious now.
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Wine Enthusiast
Fermented primarily in stainless steel, this is a broadly appealing white wine that is lengthy in baking-spice and fruity overtones of caramel apple and fig. Fleshy and moderately rich, it offers a supple texture that endures and will please a wide range of palates.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2018 Hess Collection Chardonnay shows richness from start to finish. TASTING NOTES: This wine exhibits dried earth, ripe fruit, and oak in its aromas and flavors. Pair it with a richly sauced roast chicken over noodles. (Tasted: May 7, 2020, San Francisco, CA)
For over 40 years, The Hess Collection has been producing complex, elegant wines sourced from estate vineyards high on Mount Veeder and in the far reaches of the Napa Valley. It is from these rugged landscapes that The Hess Collection winemaking team crafts exceptional luxury wines.
A pioneer by nature, Donald Hess was determined to defy convention and pursue winemaking at elevation. In 1978, he established The Hess Collection Winery on the site of one of the region’s oldest wineries on Mount Veeder. Although few in Napa Valley were cultivating vines at elevation, Donald Hess believed the volcanic slopes of Mount Veeder provided the ideal combination of soils and microclimates to yield elegant wines with rich, complex flavors.
Today, the next generation of The Hess family continues Donald’s legacy at the winery's home on Mount Veeder.
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.
One of the world's most highly regarded regions for wine production as well as tourism, the Napa Valley was responsible for bringing worldwide recognition to California winemaking. In the 1960s, a few key wine families settled the area and hedged their bets on the valley's world-class winemaking potential—and they were right.
The Napa wine industry really took off in the 1980s, when producers scooped up vineyard lands and planted vines throughout the county. A number of wineries emerged, and today Napa is home to hundreds of producers ranging from boutique to corporate. Cabernet Sauvignon is definitely the grape of choice here, with many winemakers also focusing on Bordeaux blends. White wines from Napa Valley are usually Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
Within the Napa Valley lie many smaller sub-AVAs that claim specific wine characteristics based on situation, slope and soil. Farthest south and coolest from the influence of the San Pablo Bay is Carneros, followed by Coombsville to its northeast and then Yountville, Oakville and Rutherford. Above those are the warm St. Helena and the valley's newest and hottest AVA, Calistoga. These areas follow the valley floor and are known generally for creating rich, dense, complex and smooth red wines with good aging potential. The mountain sub appellations, nestled on the slopes overlooking the valley AVAs, include Stags Leap District, Atlas Peak, Chiles Valley (farther east), Howell Mountain, Mt. Veeder, Spring Mountain District and Diamond Mountain District. Napa Valley wines from the mountain regions are often more structured and firm, benefiting from a lot of time in the bottle to evolve and soften.