Winemaker Notes
Both fresh and exotic, the Maxem Chardonnay has a sense of focus and intensity. The wine is rich and plush, but with flinty and lime zest tones for balance. Pineapple, honeysuckle, citrus aromatics and white peach are present in this medium to full-bodied wine; lively with vibrant acidity and a crystal clean finish.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Grapes for the 2023 Chardonnay UV Vineyard were harvested on October 2, and the wine matured for 15 months in around 80% new French oak. It has detailed aromas of poached pear, elderflower, panna cotta and holiday spice. The medium-bodied palate has a satiny texture and precise, slowly expanding flavors. It’s balanced by vibrant acidity and has a very long, elegant 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.
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.