Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
One of the best-priced Chardonnays out there, this super sipper aged sur lie in French and Hungarian oak for six months. It boasts crystalclear purity of flavor, and, like the 2019 that we tasted last year, a light from within. White flowers, passion fruit, and dainty minerality show through on the palate, while lemon blossom and powdered sugar are palpable on the finish.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2020 Raeburn Chardonnay basks in the glory of beautifully ripened fruit and an excellent palate experience. TASTING NOTES: This wine shows aromas and flavors of sandalwood, peach skin, dried earth, and a hint of mineral. Pair it with a salad of grilled nectarines, arugula, red leaf, and basil. (Tasted: August 29, 2021, San Francisco, CA)
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.