Winemaker Notes
The beauty and precision of the 2013 vintage combined with the unique vineyard character of Alder Springs has produced one of our finest Alesia bottlings to date. Saline minerality and complex earthiness combine with perfectly ripe fruit to produce a wine that drinks beautifully now and will reward a few years of cellar age.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2013 Alesia Chardonnay Alder Springs Vineyard is a winner. The last vintage from the Alder Spring Vineyard, it has gorgeous buttered citrus, ripe apple and white flowers aromas and flavors, a plump, rounded, supple texture and a clean finish. There's hints of classy oak on the finish, and it's a rock solid Chardonnay that has lots of charm and typicity.
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 large and diverse appellation within California’s North Coast AVA, Mendocino is home to several smaller sub-regions—most notably the Anderson Valley. This scenic region, with rolling hills covered in redwood forests as well as vineyards, is one of the world’s top producers of certified organically-grown grapes. Due to wide geographical and climatic variation, a vast array of wine styles can be found here.