Winemaker Notes
The 2016 Silhouette Chardonnay opens with notes of flowers, orange blossom, jasmine, white peach and candied pineapple. The mouth is broad at first, elegant with a deep acidity that sustains the weight and natural sweetness of the wine. The finish exhibits the traditional minerality of our Stanly Ranch Estate Vineyard and brings freshness and balance to the wine.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Dark in color, the barrel imprint comes first in this rich, rounded white, with a heady concoction of flowers, apple, peach and lemon coming next. Textured and complex, it is full bodied and voluptuous, with a complement of acidity that refreshes.
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Jeb Dunnuck
From sites in Napa Valley and aged in 50% new oak, the 2015 Chardonnay Silhouette is more layered and interesting than the base cuvee. Buttered citrus, plenty of flinty minerality, brioche and buttery notes all give way to a vibrant, nicely textured Chardonnay that has bright acidity and a clean finish. It too will keep for at least 4-5 years.
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James Suckling
Plenty of pink grapefruit on the nose, as well as vanilla, cloves, bread crust and cream. The palate shows good density with tangy fruit, driven acidity and an oily finish. Drink now.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Aged for 16 months in 35% new French oak, the 2016 Chardonnay Silhouette opens with tropical fruit notes of mango, guava and pineapple with touches of crème brûlée, mandarin peel and lightly browned toast. The palate is medium to full-bodied with a pleasantly oily texture and lovely freshness lifting the vivacious fruits, finishing long.
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.
One of the world's most highly regarded regions for wine production as well as tourism, the Napa Valley was responsible for bringing worldwide recognition to California winemaking. In the 1960s, a few key wine families settled the area and hedged their bets on the valley's world-class winemaking potential—and they were right.
The Napa wine industry really took off in the 1980s, when producers scooped up vineyard lands and planted vines throughout the county. A number of wineries emerged, and today Napa is home to hundreds of producers ranging from boutique to corporate. Cabernet Sauvignon is definitely the grape of choice here, with many winemakers also focusing on Bordeaux blends. White wines from Napa Valley are usually Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
Within the Napa Valley lie many smaller sub-AVAs that claim specific wine characteristics based on situation, slope and soil. Farthest south and coolest from the influence of the San Pablo Bay is Carneros, followed by Coombsville to its northeast and then Yountville, Oakville and Rutherford. Above those are the warm St. Helena and the valley's newest and hottest AVA, Calistoga. These areas follow the valley floor and are known generally for creating rich, dense, complex and smooth red wines with good aging potential. The mountain sub appellations, nestled on the slopes overlooking the valley AVAs, include Stags Leap District, Atlas Peak, Chiles Valley (farther east), Howell Mountain, Mt. Veeder, Spring Mountain District and Diamond Mountain District. Napa Valley wines from the mountain regions are often more structured and firm, benefiting from a lot of time in the bottle to evolve and soften.