Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Connoisseurs' Guide
Showing all of the richness and layered complexity that we have come to expect from HDV, this head-turning offering is at once fairly powerful but comes with an uncommon sense of finesse. It smells of well-ripened apples, sweet toast and wisps of roasted grains, and its deep, full-scaled flavors unfold with elements of minerals and spice lifting it above simple fruitiness. Full-bodied and slightly fleshy in feel with optimal acids affording it very fine balance, it is a serious Chardonnay that will take to aging, but it is wholly fascinating now.
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Wine Spectator
Tight and focused, delivering a beam of lime, citrus and green apple fruit that’s crisp and lively, gaining depth and a minerally nuance on the long finish. Drink now through 20123.
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.
Known for elegant wines that combine power and finesse, Carneros is set in the rolling hills that straddle the southernmost parts of both Sonoma and Napa counties. The cooling winds from the abutting San Pablo Bay, combined with lots of midday California sunshine, create an ideal environment for producing wines with a perfect balance of crisp acidity and well-ripened fruit.
This cooler pocket of California lends itself to growing Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah. Carneros is an important source of sparkling wines made in the style of Champagne as well.