Winemaker Notes
On the nose, the wine expresses notes of star jasmine and citrus, giving way to flavors that tempt the palate with a pleasing panoply of lemon candy, grapefruit zest, tropical fruit, and (wait for it…), a suggestion of bananas foster and crème brulée.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
From a site just north of Mount Veeder and very old vines (1971), the 2017 Chardonnay Napa Valley was barrel fermented and aged in 50% new French oak. Stone fruits, toasted bread, spice, and honeyed floral notes all dominate the bouquet, and it's medium to full-bodied, balanced, and long. This is straight-up gorgeous, classic Chardonnay to enjoy over the coming 6-7 years.
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James Suckling
This is real Napa Valley chardonnay with aromas and flavors of dried apple and pineapple with praline and light apricot tart. Full body and lots of flavor. Lightly oily. Drink and enjoy.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Fermented in barrel with partial malolactic and aged in 50% new oak, the 2017 Chardonnay Napa Valley opens with toasty/cedary notions over a core of warm peaches, spiced pears and Golden Delicious apples with hints of fresh hay, cashews and fresh ginger. Medium-bodied, the palate has lovely freshness and vivacity with an understated restraint in the mid-palate and a lovely nuttiness to the finish. 570 cases produced.
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.