Winemaker Notes
Medium straw color. Aromas and flavors of grilled white peach, lemon blossom, lemon meringue pie and candied pineapple. Balanced acidity, bright creaminess, medium plus body and medium length with full middle palate. Pan seared scallops, Butternut squash soup, roasted fall vegetable salad.
Professional Ratings
-
Vinous
The 2019 Chardonnay (Alexander Valley) is one of the hidden gems in this range, as it so often is. Rich and tropical, but also light on its feet, the 2019 is a total knockout. All the elements are so nicely balanced. There's terrific complexity and plenty of character. The purity of the flavors is compelling. A hint of new oak frames the finish nicely.
-
Jeb Dunnuck
The 2019 Chardonnay Alexander Valley is rock-solid, offering lots of chalky minerality as well as white flowers, stone fruits, and brioche aromatics, medium-bodied richness, a solid sense of freshness, and a great 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.
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.