Winemaker Notes
Flecked with gold, this wine shows off its pearlescent pale straw tones in the glass. Fragrant clover and fresh-cut alfalfa aromas open to an impressive range on the nose, from hints of white peach and guava to crisp Fuji apple and warm baking spice. The palate is both complex and lifted—its pomaceous notes are layered with crème caramel and butterscotch complemented by an energetic acidity and oyster shell minerality. A rich, structured finish is touched with sea salt.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Technically from Green Valley of the Russian River Valley, the 2022 Chardonnay Ross Station Estate is a bright yellow green hue and comes from the Hudson Vineyard, which sits on pure Goldridge soils and includes some of the later ripening Calera clones. Aged 18 months in barrel, the wine has a Grand Cru-like richness and layered depth. In the glass, it shows off a wonderful bouquet of candied apple, honeysuckle, lemon oils, and almond. The palate is rounded, with a silky texture and great acidity that propels it through the palate to its long finish with notes of almond. This is an exceptional wine to drink over the next 10-12 years.
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James Suckling
Green tint to the light yellow color. A very tight 2022 for this hot vintage, showing tension and focus. Medium- to full-bodied with super integrated tannins that show such length and intensity. It gives a beautiful nod to grand cru Burgundies of yesteryear. Love this. Drink or hold.
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Vinous
The 2022 Chardonnay Ross Station Estate is one of the more overt Chardonnays in this range. Ripe apricot, peach, tangerine peel, spice and a kiss of French oak meld together in a soft, creamy Chardonnay.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2022 Chardonnay Ross Station Estate was matured for 18 months in 30% new French oak. It has delicate aromas of stone fruit, allspice, crème brûlée and ginger. The palate is silky and concentrated with a foil of mouthwatering acidity and a very long, layered finish.
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Wine Spectator
Vibrant flavors of apricot pastry, peach preserves and marmalade set up the juicy core, with candied ginger, honeycomb and dried pineapple notes, plus accents of Meyer lemon, lemon verbena and fresh-cut apple. Finds plenty of momentum on the long finish. Drink now. 460 cases made.
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.