Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2019 Chardonnay Rochioli Vineyard has pure aromas of key lime pie and candied lemon, with touches of graham cracker and pastry. The palate is medium-bodied, satiny and intense, with refreshing bursts of tangy acidity and a very long, layered finish replete with an anchoring touch of texture. That combination of fruit intensity and freshness will allow this to develop for a decade or more in bottle.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2019 Chardonnay Rochioli Vineyard, which was aged for 20 months in 20% new French oak, is fragrant with yellow apple, chamomile, and baking spice. It is fresh and open with fruit on the palate, including orchard fruits, orange peel, and salty earth.
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Wine Spectator
Vibrant lemon curd, peach and tangerine flavors are ripe and juicy on a fleshy frame, with details of spice and buttery pastry, backed by a lingering hint of sea salt on the finish. Drink now.
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.