Winemaker Notes
The 2021 Barcaglia Lane Chardonnay evokes Botticelli's Renaissance painting "The Birth of Venus" and there's plenty to love in this beautiful wine. Waves of citrus orchard spices and fruits with toasty tropical overtones drift into mesmerizing layers of flavor. Supported on a shell of sea foam and native acidity the wine glides ashore on a long gentle breeze – a masterpiece.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This dramatic and full-bodied wine from a parcel of the Dutton Ranch offers lavish oak aromas and flavors, superripe fruit and a seriously rich texture. Vanilla beans, almonds, honey, peaches and poached pears coat the palate, while the creamy texture carries them to a long, lingering finish.
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Wine Spectator
Exudes smoky, toasty overtones to the grilled peach, Meyer lemon, ripe melon and dried pineapple flavors, while spicy accents of clove, nutmeg and orange bitters linger on the rich, expansive finish.
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.