Winemaker Notes
Beautiful golden yellow color, with some greenish hints and nice legs revealing strong aging potential. Surprisingly complex with fruit and flower nuances. Notes of candied citrus, dried lemon, and cashew. Great richness, well structured, with slightly spicy aromas, hints of vanilla and almond. Beautiful complexity with a very fresh finish and smooth acidity. Gentle and round.
This fresh and complex Chardonnay will pair perfectly with white meats, with a delicious stew, soft cheeses or with dessert like vanilla cream or a “crème brulée”.
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
From a house known for sparkling wine, this still single-vineyard Chardonnay is a true departure from the typical California style. In fact, according to the producer, it is vinified in a way that channels Chablis: 97% of the blend is from free-run juices and 3% aged in neutral French oak for three months. Prominent aromas of yellow flowers see a hint of pineapple before judiciously creamy and luscious notes of chamomile and cashew win over the palate with a sweep of great acidity and extraordinary style. Lemon drops linger with a vibrating sense of minerality on the finish.
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Wine Spectator
Fleshy and rich-tasting, with intense minerality to the ripe citrus and green peach flavors that are well-structured, followed by notes of sage cream on the unctuous 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.
Known for elegant wines that combine power and finesse, Carneros is set in the rolling hills that straddle the southernmost parts of both Sonoma and Napa counties. The cooling winds from the abutting San Pablo Bay, combined with lots of midday California sunshine, create an ideal environment for producing wines with a perfect balance of crisp acidity and well-ripened fruit.
This cooler pocket of California lends itself to growing Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah. Carneros is an important source of sparkling wines made in the style of Champagne as well.