Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
There’s a lemony leanness to this exquisite wine, from one of the most esteemed vineyards in its region, a site the producer has worked with for more than 20 years. Balanced, it opens with inviting aromas of white flowers and orange peel before delving into complex layers of fresh citrus, ginger snap and lavender.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Of equal quality but more flowery and minerally is the 2012 Chardonnay Hyde Vineyard. This is from a warmer site than the Hudson, but it behaves like a cold-climate Chardonnay, with crisp, zesty acidity, white currants, quince and floral notes intermixed with citrus oil and lemon butter. Drink it over the next 4-5 years.
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.
Known for elegant wines that combine power and finesse, Carneros is set in the rolling hills that straddle the southernmost parts of both Sonoma and Napa counties. The cooling winds from the abutting San Pablo Bay, combined with lots of midday California sunshine, create an ideal environment for producing wines with a perfect balance of crisp acidity and well-ripened fruit.
This cooler pocket of California lends itself to growing Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah. Carneros is an important source of sparkling wines made in the style of Champagne as well.