Winemaker Notes
Pale yellow color, a bright and complex aroma of spice, citrus and Asian pear, the palate is freshened with crisp acidity and flows into multi-dimensional flavors of quince, apple, mango and wildflower. The finish is long and etched with little bursts of all the above notes with a clean but slightly toasty end.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Lovely ripe apple aromas with jasmine and light vanilla bean character. Medium-bodied, tight and crunchy with lovely phenolic texture. Wente clone. Light chewiness. Reserved and timid at the end. Will evolve nicely in the bottle. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Grapes for the 2020 Chardonnay Hansen Hill Vineyard were harvested on September 14, and the wine was matured in 10% new French oak. It takes plenty of air to reveal white peach, panna cotta, lemon drop and touches of iodine on the nose. The light-bodied palate has an expansive, mouth-coating texture, gently honeyed fruit, bright acidity and a long, layered finish. Give it an hour in the decanter.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2020 Chardonnay Hansen Hill Vineyard is the most opulent and generous of these Chardonnays with its aromatics of sun-ripened orchard fruits, peaches, and marzipan. Ful-bodied, with a luxurious, rounded mouthfeel and notes of orange oil, pear, and toasted baking spices.
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Wine Spectator
Toasted fennel seed, allspice and candied ginger notes are plump and generous, with flavors of peach preserves, lemon tart and lemon meringue. Toasted, buttery brioche details emerge on the finish, along with firm acidity. Drink now. 100 cases made.
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.