Winemaker Notes
On the nose, the wine showcases notes of green apple, Asian pear, stone fruit flowers and lemon curd. The acidity is present but balanced, and the mouthfeel is sappy but energetic. Drinkable and mouthwatering now, it will gain in weight and complexity with age. This wine is reminiscent of the spectacular 2011 and 2018 vintages.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2021 Chardonnay Estate is precise and detailed despite its inherent generosity. The nose offers pure crushed apple, flint, dried hay and jasmine aromas. The medium-bodied palate features highly concentrated, savory and floral fruit. It has a luxuriously satiny texture, refreshing acidity and a long, nuanced finish.
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Vinous
The 2021 Chardonnay Estate is fabulous. Creamy and yet also phenolic, the 2021 captures all the magic of this site. Dried herbs, orange peel, lemon confit, dried flowers, chamomile and a whole range of mineral notes all grace this super distinctive Chardonnay from the Hirsch family.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2021 Chardonnay pours a medium straw color and jumps from the glass with sea spray, lime blossom, green apple candy, and delicate flinty lift. It’s medium-bodied but has a fantastic silky texture, with a hint of pineapple, Meyer lemon, and bread dough. It has a lovely viscosity and has freshness without harsh edges.
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.
On the far western edge of the larger Sonoma Coast appellation, the Fort Ross-Seaview AVA hugs right up against the Pacific coast. Vineyards, planted at rugged elevations between 920 to 1,800 feet, occupy only two percent of the total land in the AVA. Fort Ross-Seaview growers believe that the region boasts an ideal mix of sunshine, cool air and beneficial stress for producing high quality Chardonnay and Pinot noir.