Winemaker Notes
The 2012 Overlook Chardonnay pairs well with whole roasted chicken rubbed with rosemary and lemon zest, grilled red snapper, sashimi, butternut squash ravioli, and summer salads.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The least expensive white is the 2012 Chardonnay Overlook, a cross-California blend of fruit with 83% from Sonoma, 11% from Monterey and 6% from Santa Barbara. A consistently delicious effort, the 2012 maintains beautiful tropical fruit and honeysuckle notes as well as a pure, front end-loaded, fruit-driven style. With good acidity, beautiful cleanliness and little oak, this exuberant, classic California Chardonnay can be drunk over the next several years. It is an amazing value.
California’s most praised white wine, Chardonnay is also the state’s most planted white grape variety. Diverse terrain and microclimates allow for an incredible range of wine styles.
Chardonnay planted in the cooler, coastal zones takes on bright characteristics like lemon zest, key lime, green apple and wet flint. For this style, look to the chilly Sonoma Coast, Carneros, Santa Cruz Mountains, Santa Lucia Highlands and Edna Valley.
The inland zones of California’s coast, such as the Russian River, Sonoma, Napa and Livermore Valleys maintain a more Goldilocks-esque climate where both styles go. Early picking retains acidity and creates a leaner style but leaving the grapes to hang creates an approachable Chardonnay, balancing richness and finesse.
Chardonnay also plays a major part in the sparkling wine production of the Anderson Valley and Carneros.