Winemaker Notes
The 2018 The Sage embodies these qualities and then some and is the most nuanced Chardonnay to date. Aromas of lemon oil, fennel frond, apricot, turbinado sugar, lime blossom, orange zest, nutmeg and biscuit waft from the glass. The palate is hugely silky with wonderful balance, energy and perfume. These Old Wente vines from 1980 continue to produce gorgeous fruit, making us feel so lucky to be able to work with this fantastic site.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Lots of musky melon, citrus, dried herbs, and a touch of salty minerality emerge from the 2018 Chardonnay The Sage, which is concentrated and textured and has vibrant, racy acidity.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Chardonnay The Sage opens with lovely apricots, yellow apples and poached pears notes plus hints of honeysuckle, lemongrass and ginger. Delicately styled with a medium body, it has a graceful, well-poised palate of lively citrus and apple-laced flavors, finishing with a zesty lift. 213 cases were made.
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 vast appellation covering Sonoma County’s Pacific coastline, the Sonoma Coast AVA runs all the way from the Mendocino County border, south to the San Pablo Bay. The region can actually be divided into two sections—the actual coastal vineyards, marked by marine soils, cool temperatures and saline ocean breezes—and the warmer, drier vineyards further inland, which are still heavily influenced by the Pacific but not quite with same intensity.
Contained within the appellation are the much smaller Fort Ross-Seaview and Petaluma Gap AVAs.
The Sonoma Coast is highly regarded for elegant Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and, increasingly, cool-climate Syrah. The wines have high acidity, moderate alcohol, firm tannin, and balanced ripeness.