Winemaker Notes
A bright and layered bouquet of citrus, crisp apple, and pear, interwoven with subtle oak and delicate floral nuances. Vibrant lemon and toasted butterscotch flavors unfold with refreshing acidity and refined minerality. Notes of lime zest and orange blossom emerge, extending a long, elegant finish.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Aromas of fresh apple, river rocks, orange blossom and a whisper of flint swirl on the nose of this Chard, while the palate delivers lively acidity with flavors of pithy Meyer lemon, white flowers, grilled brioche and pineapple sage with a lovely salty grip at the finish. Delicious now, this will show beautifully for at least a decade.
Cellar Selection -
Wine Spectator
Grilled pineapple, ripe peach, melon and lemon curd flavors are generous, plump and juicy. Offers accents of fresh citrus zest and candied ginger alongside a drizzle of wildflower honey. Vibrant acidity keeps the flavors fresh and in focus, with warm baking spices including white cardamom and clove lingering on the finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2023 Chardonnay One Sixteen is blended from several sites, including Cerise, Ritchie, El Diablo and Bootlegger’s Hill. Fermented in barrel and matured for 12 months in 34% new French oak, it has open-knit aromas of peach, nectarine, beeswax and matchstick. The medium-bodied palate features layered, flint-laced flavors and well-integrated new oak spice. It’s balanced by bright, mouthwatering acidity and has a long, 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.
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.