Winemaker Notes
Martin Ray is thrilled with the intricacies and sophistication of this vintage’s Chardonnay. Traditional and elegant, this wine boasts layers of Meyer lemon curd, ripe Bosc pear, with subtle orange blossom and honey. The body is layered and complex throughout the palate, yet light and juicy with vibrant acidity around the edges, finishing with a delicate touch of Tahitian vanilla bean and well-integrated oak.
Ideal alongside seared scallops with lemon caper linguine.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A deep and layered white with cooked-apple, pineapple and banana aromas and flavors. Full-bodied, firm and very tight with lovely brightness and clarity. Stone and mineral undertones. Drink now. Screw cap.
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 vast appellation covering Sonoma County’s Pacific coastline, the Sonoma Coast AVA runs all the way from the Mendocino County border, south to the San Pablo Bay. The region can actually be divided into two sections—the actual coastal vineyards, marked by marine soils, cool temperatures and saline ocean breezes—and the warmer, drier vineyards further inland, which are still heavily influenced by the Pacific but not quite with same intensity.
Contained within the appellation are the much smaller Fort Ross-Seaview and Petaluma Gap AVAs.
The Sonoma Coast is highly regarded for elegant Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and, increasingly, cool-climate Syrah. The wines have high acidity, moderate alcohol, firm tannin, and balanced ripeness.