Winemaker Notes
The 2017 Russian River Chardonnay is a blend of Rued clone grown on our Quail Hill Vineyard and Clone 4 from Sweeney Vineyard. A green-gold color in the glass, this wine offers vibrant aromas of jasmine flower, orange zest, honeydew and wet stone. A stunningly bright entry on the palate with fresh
acidity leads to notes of quince, persimmon and fresh crushed
gravel. The elegant structure leads to a clean finish with notes of Bartlett pear and lemon-lime.
Professional Ratings
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Connoisseurs' Guide
All of the Lynmar Chardonnays are fine, very collectable wines that merit serious attention, but, of the bunch, this is the one that stands out the most. It is a rich and yet very well-tailored wine with lovely oak gracefully playing support to its deep and incisive, marvelously continuous fruit, and, while so very mannerly that it is thoroughly enjoyable now, it is destined to pay handsome dividends with half-decade or more of age by dint of its exemplary balance. Hard-to-please Chardonnay fans are advised to take note.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Starting with the Chardonnay, there are three Russian River releases and one Sonoma Coast. The 2017 Chardonnay Quail Hill Vineyard comes from a site in the Russian River and spent 14 months in 39% new French oak. Lots of poached pear, peaches, orange blossom, and spice all emerge from the glass, and it's rich yet also fresh, with a good spine of acidity. It's beautifully done and is going to drink well for a decade.
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Wine Enthusiast
This brawny wine carries floral and oak imprints on the nose that carry through to the full-bodied palate. Red fruit, citrus and grippy, full tannins accent the powerful weight that could benefit from time in the cellar. Cellar Selection
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James Suckling
Complex aromas of lightly buttered popcorn and grilled peaches make for a compelling wine. This has terrific depth and density to the palate that really impresses, combining bold texture and flavor.
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Wine Spectator
Offers a pillowy texture, with plush melon, ripe apple and pear tart flavors that carry creamy notes. The spicy finish lingers, showing toasty accents. Drink now through 2023.
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.