Winemaker Notes
Hess takes care in farming the Su'skol vineyard in order to develop fruit with bright acidity and balance, and to showcase the impact of the moderate temperatures influenced by nearby San Pablo Bay. Hess chooses to focus on the aromatic and delicate musqué clone, which requires a light touch with both oak and malolactic fermentation. In order to highlight this beautiful clonal material, they put 70% of the blend through stainless fermentation, which helps retain fresh flavors of white pear and green apple, as well as preserves the wine’s natural acidity. So as not to overwhelm the blend, the remaining 30% sees a light touch of oak–19% new French oak–and only 30% of the overall blend is allowed to undergo secondary fermentation. Aging the wine nine months in barrel with lees stirred monthly for four months helps create a complexity in this wine. This estate Chardonnay offers elegant aromas of jasmine and honeysuckle, which harmonize with delicious flavors of melon and stone fruits all enveloped in a beautiful finish of baking spice and toasted oak.
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.