Winemaker Notes
Incredibly food-friendly, the 2014 Highland Chardonnay is a perfect match with cream-sauced pastas, roast chicken and pork, and seafood
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
An amazing wine for less than $30, this bottling by veteran Winemaker Dan Lee starts with tightly wound aromas of dried yogurt, Meyer lemon peel, honeysuckle and Asian-pear flesh. Great grapefruit-pith flavors kick off the sip, where lime juice and baking soda combine for a tight, bright, grippy, laser-focused and high-toned palate. Editors' Choice.
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Connoisseurs' Guide
Never flamboyant, but still fairly rich and showing a measure of complexity that runs from its compact, deftly oaked, green apple aromas into its nicely composed flavors, this moderately full, very well-balanced youngster smacks of seriousness in a way that few Chardonnays of its price do. It is lively and lasting with very clear potential for aging, yet it is not so tight that it cannot be enjoyed in the shorter term with richer seafoods. Good Value.
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.