Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A Sonoma Coast bargain fermented with native yeast with full malolactic, aged mainly in stainless steel and partially in older French oak, the 2016 Chardonnay charges out of the gate with gorgeous lemongrass, orange peel and honeycomb notes over a core of lemon tart and grapefruit. Medium-bodied, fine-boned and lively in the mouth, it has a lovely savory/yeasty character and bags of poise coming through on the finish. 3,800 cases were made.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2016 Lola Chardonnay is on point as it delivers excellent richness and beautiful balance. TASTING NOTES: This wine offers pleasing ripeness, an extended palate texture, and a perky finish. Enjoy its aromas and flavors of ripe core fruits and creamy oak with pan-fried chicken thighs in a wild mushroom sauce. (Tasted: April 29, 2019, San Francisco, CA)
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.
Home to a diverse array of smaller AVAs with varied microclimates and soil types, Sonoma County has something for every wine lover. Physically twice as large as Napa Valley, the region only produces about half the amount of wine but boasts both tremendous quality and variety. With its laid-back atmosphere and down-to-earth attitude, the wineries of Sonoma are appreciated by wine tourists for their friendliness and approachability. The entire county intends to become a 100% sustainable winegrowing region by 2019.
Sonoma County wines are produced with carefully selected grape varieties to reflect the best attributes of their sites—Dry Creek Valley’s consistent sunshine is ideal for Zinfandel, while the warm Alexander Valley is responsible for rich, voluptuous red wines like Cabernet Sauvignon. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are important throughout the county, most notably in the cooler AVAs of Russian River, Sonoma Coast and Carneros. Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot and Syrah have also found a firm footing here.