Winemaker Notes
An effusive bouquet of lemon zest, brioche and white sage. Bright acidity on entry with notes of lemon pie and kiwi. The palate displays a balanced tension between citrus, grilled nut and minerality which transitions to a long, mouthwatering finish. With time in the glass or decanter, the signature savory and musky notes of this wine emerge. elightfully energetic and fruity in its youth, this is a Chardonnay that will continue to develop richness and complexity with cellaring.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Crisp and balanced in bright acidity and apple skin, this also offers subtle toasted oak and caramel, the best of both worlds, exuberant and elegant at the same time. Enjoy now or cellar until 2020.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2012 Chardonnay Sangiacomo Vineyard possesses more orange blossom, honeyed corn and caramelized citrus characteristics than the other single-vineyard cuvees, as well as a deeper color, medium to full body, and white peach notes that come through as the wine airs out. Pure and rich, with no noticeable oak, it should drink well for 5-7 years.
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.