Winemaker Notes
The complex and sophisticated mouthfeel of this Chardonnay is built through a combination of French and American oak, stainless steel tanks and sur lie aging. Each technique offers the final blend something special; from the hint of vanilla bean and buttercream from the oak barrels, to the crisp stone fruit varietal characteristics highlighted in the stainless steel, to the round, luxurious mouthfeel resulting from sur lie aging.
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Enthusiast
Well-balanced between fresh fruits and light oak spices, this medium-bodied wine is not nearly as aggressive as its label image of a shark suggests. Moderate acidity bolsters fresh golden apple and Bartlett pear flavors, with delicate buttery accents. It will be especially versatile with food.
-
Wine & Spirits
Packed with citrus, from orange to pink grapefruit, this has springtime scents of fruit blossoms and some supple alcohol. Chill it for a beach picnic.
-
Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY and TASTING NOTES: The 2021 Juggernaut Chardonnay— with its textured built through aging in French and American barrels, stainless steel, and sur lees aging—shows a smooth and delectable palate texture, aromas, and flavors of savory spices, ripe apples, and citrus. Pair it with al fresco parties with chicken wings and lamb kebabs. (Tasted: February 12, 2023, San Francisco, CA)
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 vast appellation covering Sonoma County’s Pacific coastline, the Sonoma Coast AVA runs all the way from the Mendocino County border, south to the San Pablo Bay. The region can actually be divided into two sections—the actual coastal vineyards, marked by marine soils, cool temperatures and saline ocean breezes—and the warmer, drier vineyards further inland, which are still heavily influenced by the Pacific but not quite with same intensity.
Contained within the appellation are the much smaller Fort Ross-Seaview and Petaluma Gap AVAs.
The Sonoma Coast is highly regarded for elegant Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and, increasingly, cool-climate Syrah. The wines have high acidity, moderate alcohol, firm tannin, and balanced ripeness.