Winemaker Notes
Laguna Chardonnay offers elegant hints of refreshing apple, peach and ripe orange. Expressive layers of caramel and price complement subtle toasted oak notes. Full bodied with hints of cream, this wine has a soft, lingering finish.
Laguna is dedicated to producing world-class Chardonnay from the prestigious Russian River Valley. In the heart of this region lies the inspiration for our wine: Laguna Vineyard. This land saw its first wine grapes planted as far back as the 1800s and has been home to world-class Chardonnay for more than four decades. In the Russian River Valley, a long growing season and cool coastal breezes result in a delicate balance between crisp acidity and ripe fruit flavors.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Fleshy, steely and soft, this wine offers a nice contrast of crisp, focused acidity and opulent fruit. Peach and nectarine are front and center on the palate, with lasting richness.
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.