Winemaker Notes
The fruit was hand-harvested in early September. The whole cluster Chardonnay went straight to press. The juice racked to a used French barrel, a new French barrel, and stainless steel vessels drums, for fermentation. Towards the end of fermentation, we lees stirred to enhance the wine's body and texture, adding depth and richness. After the completion of full malolactic fermentation, the aging process began. It was aged for 11 months.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
From a great site in the Carneros region, the 2021 Chardonnay Kale David Larry Hyde & Sons is light gold-hued with beautiful notes of honeyed lemon, ripe melon, toasted bread, and hints of white flowers. It's medium-bodied, has a supple, layered mouthfeel, nicely integrated acidity, and a great finish. It's one heck of a classy Chardonnay to drink over the coming 4-6 years or so.
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James Suckling
Lots of flowers, potpourri and quince zest with some baked lemon aromas on the nose. Medium-bodied with a creamy core of juicy fruit and a comforting, slightly spicy finish.
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.
One of the world's most highly regarded regions for wine production as well as tourism, the Napa Valley was responsible for bringing worldwide recognition to California winemaking. In the 1960s, a few key wine families settled the area and hedged their bets on the valley's world-class winemaking potential—and they were right.
The Napa wine industry really took off in the 1980s, when producers scooped up vineyard lands and planted vines throughout the county. A number of wineries emerged, and today Napa is home to hundreds of producers ranging from boutique to corporate. Cabernet Sauvignon is definitely the grape of choice here, with many winemakers also focusing on Bordeaux blends. White wines from Napa Valley are usually Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
Within the Napa Valley lie many smaller sub-AVAs that claim specific wine characteristics based on situation, slope and soil. Farthest south and coolest from the influence of the San Pablo Bay is Carneros, followed by Coombsville to its northeast and then Yountville, Oakville and Rutherford. Above those are the warm St. Helena and the valley's newest and hottest AVA, Calistoga. These areas follow the valley floor and are known generally for creating rich, dense, complex and smooth red wines with good aging potential. The mountain sub appellations, nestled on the slopes overlooking the valley AVAs, include Stags Leap District, Atlas Peak, Chiles Valley (farther east), Howell Mountain, Mt. Veeder, Spring Mountain District and Diamond Mountain District. Napa Valley wines from the mountain regions are often more structured and firm, benefiting from a lot of time in the bottle to evolve and soften.