Winemaker Notes
Subtle-yellow in color, with aromas of citrus and tropical fruits, white flowers, and a hint of minerality. The palate is smooth and balanced, with precise acidity that delivers a complex and fresh finish. The long finish is a classic expression of Chardonnay, thanks to the coastal climate of the winery’s vineyards.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 EQ Chardonnay was produced with three clonal selections planted in Valle del Rosario in San Antonio. The full clusters were pressed, and the juice fermented in French oak barrels with native yeasts where the wine matured for 11 months. Here, the riper year is noticeable compared with wines from 2018, as this is slightly more tropical and round, with creamy oak and a showy palate with a soft texture.
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.
Its rolling, coastal hills encouraged great investment in the 1990s from those in search of a cooler grape growing environment compared to those found in Chile’s Central Valley. All of the vineyards of the San Antonio Valley, which runs north to south and parallel to the coast, experience the cooling effect of the ocean and are made of vine-loving clay and granitic soils. While Sauvignon Blanc put this valley on the Chilean wine map, high quality Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are emerging and some producers are starting to experiment with sparkling wine.