Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Not yet bottled, the 2018 Chardonnay UV Vineyard comes from a higher-yielding, long, even growing season. It has a similar aromatic style to the 2017 yet is slightly more fresh and vivid, with lots of honeysuckle, acacia flowers, and citrus aromatics, medium to full body, terrific balance, and a great finish. It’s certainly an outstanding wine and is going to check in near the 2017.
Barrel Sample: 94-96 -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Made from 100% Wente Clone Chardonnay, the 2018 Chardonnay UV Vineyard was aged for 15 months in French oak and concrete egg. It springs from the glass with notions of fresh grapefruit, lemon drops and mandarin peel plus hints of white blossoms, coriander seed and shaved ginger. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a beautiful satiny texture with loads of mineral sparks among the citrusy fruit flavors, finishing with a spicy kick.
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.