Winemaker Notes
Aromas of citrus blossoms, crushed oyster shells and honeysuckle. In the mouth it has vibrant but not off-putting acidity. There is a nervous energy that allows it to dance between leanness and richness.
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2013 Joseph Swan Vineyards Hawk Hill Vineyard Chardonnay is bright and explosive on the palate. TASTING NOTES: This wine comes to the table with aromas and flavors of tart apple, chalk, and minerality. Serve it with pan-seared scallops. (Tasted: March 7, 2018, San Francisco, CA)
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Offering expressive lemon curd, white grapefruit and white peach notes with touches of chalk dust, struck match and buttered toast, the 2013 Chardonnay Hawk Hill Vineyard has an elegant, light to medium body and a lively citrus laced palate, finishing with refreshingly zesty persistence.
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.
A standout region for its decidedly Californian take on Burgundian varieties, the Russian River Valley is named for the eponymous river that flows through it. While there are warm pockets of the AVA, it is mostly a cool-climate growing region thanks to breezes and fog from the nearby Pacific Ocean.
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir reign supreme in Russian River, with the best examples demonstrating a unique combination of richness and restraint. The cool weather makes Russian River an ideal AVA for sparkling wine production, utilizing the aforementioned varieties. Zinfandel also performs exceptionally well here. Within the Russian River Valley lie the smaller appellations of Chalk Hill and Green Valley. The former, farther from the ocean, is relatively warm, with a focus on red and white Bordeaux varieties. The latter is the coolest, foggiest parcel of the Russian River Valley and is responsible for outstanding Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.