Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2017 Chardonnay La Carriere is a rich, powerful style of Chardonnay, yet it stays vibrant and fresh, with terrific balance. Notes of orange blossom, pineapple, caramelized citrus, and white flowers, as well as a touch of minerality all, emerge from this full-bodied, multi-dimensional, layered beauty that's going to evolve for at least a decade.
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James Suckling
Intense aromas of sliced cooked apples, limes and hints of coconut. Full-bodied, creamy and very dense, yet extremely fresh and vivid. Crunchy acidity. Lovely texture. Exciting. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Chardonnay la Carriere has a little more Old Wente clone selection in it from this year. It features a bombastic, staggeringly expressive nose of baked peaches, honey-drizzled pears, crème brulee and lemon tart with wafts of poached pears, gingerbread and toasted almonds. Full-bodied, rich and seductive in the mouth, the palate is completely coated in honey-laced stone fruit and spiced pears layers, featuring and racy backbone and hedonic texture, finishing very long and spicy. 2,587 cases were made. Rating: 96+
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Wine Spectator
Minerally and crisp, with white currant and fresh-cut green apple flavors that are well-focused. Dried savory hints emerge on the finish.
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 small and picturesque valley separating Napa Valley on its south border and Alexander Valley to its north, Knights Valley excels in similar varieties as the two aforementioned appellations, namely red Bordeaux varieties and blends, as well as Sauvignon blanc. Originally established by Beringer Vineyards, today several outstanding producers claim acreage here. The circadian cooling effects of the nearby Pacific Ocean create a nighttime respite for vineyards during the hot growing season.