Winemaker Notes
The 446 Chardonnay exhibits vibrant aromas of pineapple, yellow peach, vanilla and toasted oak. This medium-bodied wine is balanced, showcasing a creamy mid-palate and crisp acidity. Bright flavors of mango, kiwi and honeydew melon are supported by hints of lemon zest and cinnamon butter.
Enjoy this wine with friends, on its own or with soft cheeses, seafood, salads, pasta in wine or cheese sauce, or roast fowl.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
One of the more reliably overdelivering brands in California wine today, this bottling begins with aromas of freshly baked apple, sea-salt caramel, vanilla and butter. Both poached and baked apple flavors show on the sip, where a metallic minerality frames a finish of more vanilla and light buttercream.
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.
A geographic and climatic paradise for grape vines, Monterey is a part of the greater Central Coast AVA and contains within it five smaller sub-appellations, including Arroyo Seco, San Lucas, San Bernabe, Hames Valley and the famous Santa Lucia Highlands. The climate is relatively warm but tempered by cool, coastal winds, allowing the regions in Monterey County an exceptionally long growing season. Bud break often happens two weeks sooner and harvest tends to be two weeks later compared to other surrounding regions.
Monterey’s coastal side, where the cooling ocean fog allows grapes to develop a perfect sugar-acid balance, excels in the production of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Riesling. Warmer, inland subzones are home to fleshy, concentrated and full-bodied reds like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Zinfandel.
Chardonnay, covering about 40% of vineyard acreage, is the most widely planted grape in all of Monterey County.