Winemaker Notes
A classic Monterey County Chardonnay, this wine offers ripe, tropical aromas of pineapple softened by notes of baked apple and brioche. The palate of this medium-bodied wine unfolds with layers peaches and Asian pears, melting into a long, lasting finish with a sumptuous mouth-feel.
This Chardonnay makes a great accompaniment to seafood, poultry, or pork. Pair with a spicy curry-based sauce or with lightly-aged sheep's milk cheeses.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Aromas of ripe apricots and mangoes with pastry crust, almonds and honeysuckle. Medium- to full-bodied with creamy texture. Polished and sleek with mineral undertones.
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 geographic and climatic paradise for grape vines, Monterey is a part of the greater Central Coast AVA and contains within it five smaller sub-appellations, including Arroyo Seco, San Lucas, San Bernabe, Hames Valley and the famous Santa Lucia Highlands. The climate is relatively warm but tempered by cool, coastal winds, allowing the regions in Monterey County an exceptionally long growing season. Bud break often happens two weeks sooner and harvest tends to be two weeks later compared to other surrounding regions.
Monterey’s coastal side, where the cooling ocean fog allows grapes to develop a perfect sugar-acid balance, excels in the production of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Riesling. Warmer, inland subzones are home to fleshy, concentrated and full-bodied reds like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Zinfandel.
Chardonnay, covering about 40% of vineyard acreage, is the most widely planted grape in all of Monterey County.