Winemaker Notes
This wine exhibits aromas of grilled nectarine, olive oil ice cream, sweet lemon bars and a hint of snickerdoodle cookies. Hints of vanilla, marzipan and roasted walnuts balance out the savory, rich mouthfeel with cascading acidity.
The Alexander Valley Chardonnay is a blend of five different clones; Clone 4, Wente, Upper Barn, 72 and Clone 76. The vines harvested for this Chardonnay were specifically selected to emphasize the uniqueness of each vineyard block. e soil diversity, sun exposure, clonal and rootstock selections, as well as the altitude, all came together to contribute to this final blend. Whole cluster pressed and fermented in 100% French oak barrels, this Chardonnay went through full malolactic fermentation.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Aged in 24% new French oak, the 2017 Chardonnay Alexander Valley gives up poached pears, sliced apples, honey toast, wet stone, cashew and apricot with notes of pie crust and sweet spice. Medium-bodied and silky, it offers intense, toasty fruits with creamy notes, finishing long and refreshing. This is great value! 7,500 cases produced.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Brought up in 24% new French oak, the 2017 Chardonnay Alexander Valley offers a clean, pretty bouquet of stone fruits, apple, blossom, and white flowers. Elegant, medium-bodied, and nicely textured, with a kiss of subtle oak, this is an outstanding wine.
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.
Nearly a northern extension of Napa Valley, Alexander Valley starts just north of the small, Knights Valley, and is just a few minutes drive from the Napa town of Calistoga. It is Sonoma County’s hottest AVA. But the Russian River, which runs through the valley, creates cooler pockets and its soft, alluvial soil is ideal for grape growing, especially Cabernet Sauvignon. In fact, some believe that Alexander Valley Cabernets truly rival the best from Napa Valley and many of the heavy-hitter producers have largely invested here.
In addition to Cabernet Sauvignon, which makes up over 50% of plantings, Merlot and old vine Zinfandel thrive here. Ample, fleshy Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc dominate white wine production. Some old-vine plantings of Grenache have also been discovered and more recent experiments with Sangiovese and Barbera show great promise.