Winemaker Notes
This wine was crafted to express the creamy side of Chardonnay yet with lively acidity. Aromas of mandarin peel, Meyer lemon curd and hints of white pepper and white flowers. The palate echoes the citrus flavors with its creaminess and energy to a lingering finish.
Planted in 1980 these organically farmed vines are from a single old block. Located on the famed Tin Cross Ranch at 2,200 feet elevation in the Northern Mayacamas Mountain Range. The volcanic, gravelly soil is a well-drained site and gets abundant sunshine, while the elevation keeps it cool and preserves acidity in the grapes.
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Chardonnay Harrison Block opens with a very yeasty nose giving way to notions of fresh ginger, marzipan and chalk dust over a core of lemon meringue pie, white peaches and fresh pears. Medium to full-bodied, it has a gorgeous satiny texture with incredibly intense savory and citrus layers, finishing long with a compelling saline character.
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.
One of the highest growing appellations in California as well as the smallest, Pine Mountain incidentally extends into both Sonoma and Mendocino counties. Its vineyards range from 1,600 to about 3,000 feet in elevation at the top of Pine Mountain.