Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
The first Chardonnay from Provenance, this is sourced from outstanding sites like the Sangiacomo and Winery Lake vineyards, ... in the cool Carneros AVA. Barrel-aged in French oak for a year, this weighted white lends an elegant mouthfeel thanks to aging on the lees. Aromas of lemon curd and white peach are instantly attractive and alluring. The combination of minerality and toasted oak is well-integrated, forming a duality with a crème-brûlée effect and bright acidity. It’s a job well done.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Barrel aged 100% and aged for 12 months in 35% new French oak, the 2016 Chardonnay Carneros gives up intense notes of guava, pineapple and honeydew with hints of toasty oak and allspice. Medium-bodied, it delivers bags of lively melon-inspired flavors with a spicy 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.
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.