Winemaker Notes
Style of Chardonnay:
This wine represents the creamy style of Chardonnay in our Wine Discovery Set.
Find more creamy Chardonnay.
Professional Ratings
-
Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
I have always been a fan of the Mer Soleil Reserve Chardonnays; the 2014 Santa Lucia Highlands Reserve has made me even more of a believer. This is the winery's best wine to date. The wine's aroma is intoxicating and outrageous—not just buttery and yummy. This is indeed a serious effort that has combined all of the elements—ripe fruit, endearing creaminess, firm structure and pure fruit in the aftertaste. Drinks well now. (Tasted: July 14, 2016, San Francisco, CA)
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.
Perhaps the most highly regarded appellation within Monterey County, Santa Lucia Highlands AVA benefits from a combination of warm morning sunshine and brisk afternoon breezes, allowing grapes to ripen slowly and fully. The result is concentrated, flavorful wines that retain their natural acidity. Wineries here do not shy away from innovation, and place a high priority on sustainable viticultural practices.
The climatic conditions here are perfectly suited to the production of ripe, rich Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. These Burgundian varieties dominate an overwhelming percentage of plantings, though growers have also found success with Syrah, Riesling and Pinot Gris.