Winemaker Notes
Notes of pineapple, lemon curd, and marshmallow are echoed on the palate by butter toffee and baked apple.
One of the finest food wines, the Double L Chardonnay will pair wonderfully with seafood and poultry dishes, as well as a buttery steak.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Toasted macadamia nut, baked peach, coconut and sea salt aromas make for a heady entry to the nose. The palate is cut by a tangerine-rind tartness that gives balance to the creamy apricot and cherimoya flavors as that salty character carries through the finish.
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Wine Spectator
Lemon meringue, yuzu and apricot cobbler flavors are generous, intense and focused, with details of peppery white flowers and fresh citrus zest and ginger flavors on the long, juicy and expressive finish. Drink now.
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.