Winemaker Notes
A green-hued color with golden flecks. The aromas are intense and complex, intertwining notes of lemon meringue tart, freshly picked apricot and peach, and an intriguing bouquet of warm florals. The palate is round and precise, with beautifully defined floral accents of jasmine and honeysuckle alongside vibrant lemon character. Ample, rounded, and remarkably fresh, this is a Grand Cru-level Chardonnay that is ready to drink now and has the potential to age gracefully for several decades.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
There’s a lovely balance of freshness, minerality and fruit concentration with aromas of citrus peel, salted nuts, apple blossom and flint. The palate is finely constructed with bright acidity and a generous albeit restrained mouthfeel. Partial malo and 22% new French oak have brought this wine into balance, with all the hallmarks of a finely made chardonnay. Drink or hold.
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.
Surrounded by redwood forests and often blanketed in chilly, ocean fog, the Anderson Valley is one of California’s most picturesque appellations. During the growing season, moist, cool, late afternoon air flows in from the Pacific Ocean along the Navarro River and over the valley's golden, oak-studded hills. High and low temperatures can vary as much as 40 or 50 degrees within a single day, allowing for slow and gentle ripening of grapes, which will in turn create elegantly balanced wines.
The Anderson Valley is best known for Pinot Noir made in a range of styles from delicate and floral to powerful and concentrated. Chardonnay also shines here, and both varieties are often utilized for the production of some of California’s best traditional method sparkling wines. The region also draws inspiration from Alsace and produces excellent Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris.