Winemaker Notes
#3 Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2022
Refinement and purity are the hallmarks of this vintage. Aromas of yellow apple and mango skin are balanced by crisp minerality and notes of smoked almond. The palate showcases fresh, lime-like acidity and linear mouthfeel while being offset by tones of toasted Ezekiel bread and subtle hints of vanilla bean. While being expressive in its youth, we feel that the qualities of this wine are better realized with age.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
The concentration and focus are exceptional, with sliced apples, pie crust, light vanilla bean, minerals and stones on the nose. It’s full-bodied yet feather-light on the palate. Hints of spices, smoke, minerals and oyster shells at the end, with some brine and flint in the finish. A complete white that’s showing fantastically. It has evolved incredibly well.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2019 Chardonnay comes from vines in the Hyde Vineyard that are 25-40 years old and planted to Wente (60%) and Calera (40%) selections. Aged in about 15% new French oak, the nose is perfumed and pure, with scents of quince, apricot, beeswax, river stone and citrus blossoms. The palate offers a compelling dynamic of satiny, expansive fruits and fresh, focused acidity, and it has a long, nuanced finish. It will continue to unwind in bottle over the next 2-3 years and gain savory complexity over the next decade.
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Wine Spectator
This stunning version offers a pure beam of white nectarine, mango and ripe Bartlett pear flavors that mingle with notes of pound cake, toasted, salted hazelnut and nutmeg on a supple, rich frame, which draws focus from a bright thread of acidity. Drink now.
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.