Winemaker Notes
This inaugural release displays pale straw and an elixir of gardenia florals, Asian pear, and baking spice. Flint and lemongrass, with a vibrant sea-salt and crushed rock mineral element. Soft texture, weighty mid-palate, tension, crunchy acidity.
Professional Ratings
-
Jeb Dunnuck
A layered and dense chardonnay with sliced cooked apple and a touch of lemon rind. Floral with honey blossom. Hints of flint. Medium to full body. Fresh and creamy texture. Flavorful at the end. Savory. A new single vineyard chardonnay to check out.
-
James Suckling
A layered and dense chardonnay with sliced cooked apple and a touch of lemon rind. Floral with honey blossom. Hints of flint. Medium to full body. Fresh and creamy texture. Flavorful at the end. Savory.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2020 Chardonnay George Menini Estate is the first iteration of this single-vineyard wine from Paul Hobbs, from a vineyard that he recently purchased. Previously an apple orchard, it was planted to 39 acres of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in 2015, mostly with heritage selections like Wente and Hudson. The vines are dry farmed in classic Goldridge soils. "The newer vineyards that I purchase are in cooler pockets, so I don't have to acidulate," Hobbs explains. "It has become a hallmark in the quest for vineyards, and the need to dry farm." Matured for 15 months in 30% new oak, it has very pretty scents of white peach, honey, crushed almonds and flint. The light-bodied palate is silky with expansive flavors foiled by focused acidity, and it finishes with a touch of anchoring textural grip.
-
Wine Spectator
Yellow apple, dried pineapple and lemon meringue flavors are fresh and generous, accented with notes of nutmeg and orange sherbet and backed by vibrant acidity. Drink now through 2034.
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 standout region for its decidedly Californian take on Burgundian varieties, the Russian River Valley is named for the eponymous river that flows through it. While there are warm pockets of the AVA, it is mostly a cool-climate growing region thanks to breezes and fog from the nearby Pacific Ocean.
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir reign supreme in Russian River, with the best examples demonstrating a unique combination of richness and restraint. The cool weather makes Russian River an ideal AVA for sparkling wine production, utilizing the aforementioned varieties. Zinfandel also performs exceptionally well here. Within the Russian River Valley lie the smaller appellations of Chalk Hill and Green Valley. The former, farther from the ocean, is relatively warm, with a focus on red and white Bordeaux varieties. The latter is the coolest, foggiest parcel of the Russian River Valley and is responsible for outstanding Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.