Winemaker Notes
The 2018 Overlook Chardonnay is a complex and balanced mix of ripe fruit, savory flavors and crisp, textural elements. It's great to drink on its own or paired with a variety of dishes from a roasted chicken breast with a lemon and rosemary sauce or a creamy fettuccine alfredo finished with a lemon zest accent.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Oaky, rich and layered, this likable white offers apple, peach, pear and a whirl of butter scotch, with the oak adding a toasted note. Softly textured and rounded on the palate, it brings complexity within a full-bodied style.
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.