Winemaker Notes
Highly textured, the wine displays luxurious mid-palate volume, seamlessly integrated with a distinctive silkiness from entry to finish. Its richness is poised by brightness of acid, imparting persistent vibrancy. Though optimal drinking and aromatic complexity for this Olivet Lane Chardonnay will approach with up to five years of cellaring, this wine is very enjoyable in the present while its fruit is in full flourish.
An inspired pairing for the 2014 Olivet Lane Estate Vineyard Chardonnay is roast monkfish in creamy saffron sauce as this wine is the ideal match for rich seafood and the perfect counterpoint to creamy dishes.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2014 Chardonnay Olivet Lane Vineyard has savory cashews, cedar and yeast extract noses over a core of apple pie and baked peaches with a waft of lemon butter. The medium to full-bodied palate is pleasantly oily textured with a fair whack of oak that is matched by lashings of stone fruit and savory flavors, finishing with great length. Yes, it old-school, and deliciously so.
Rating: 90+ -
Wine Enthusiast
Fleshy and briny, this wine hails from the producer's own marquee vineyard, situated in the heart of the Olivet Lane district. Ripe, with a buttery undertone, it's classic in its rendering of Gravenstein apple and pear flavors—balanced, yet with a robust frame.
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.