Winemaker Notes
Intense aromas of ripe Asian pear, pineapple, and candied peach are found on the nose. They continue to the concentrated palate where they meet additional flavors of ripe nectarine, honey, and hints of candied ginger. The rich mid palate, framed by bright acidity, builds, giving way to a long and lingering finish of ripe melon and spice.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
This is a barrel selection from the top lots in the cellar. It has a richly scented nose of candied ginger, salted lemon, and heady toasty cedarwood spices. Round, creamy, enticing, and layers with creme brulee, candied Meyer lemon, and candied quince, with a pleasure-packed litany of sweet baking spices and a long, toasty oak finish. This is unapologetically imbued with the richness of oak ageing, but not over the top, and cut from 100% Chardonnay aged 9 months in American and French oak barrels, of which just 50% is new. Balanced, integrated, and expressive of its unabashed California place under the sun.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A blend of lots from Buchli and Home Ranch, plus another bit or two, the 2022 Chardonnay Proprietor Selection boasts subtle toast, crushed stone and pencil shaving nuances set against a backdrop of pineapple and white peach. Bigger, lusher and creamier than the single-vineyard bottlings, it's full-bodied yet finishes long and crisp.
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Wine Enthusiast
prietor Selection Chardonnay (Carneros). Bold and buttery in aroma, this full-bodied, creamy-textured wine is made in much smaller quantities than the regular Rombauer Chardonnay. It highlights vanilla, pineapple and candied apple on the palate while a soft, viscous texture leaves a sweet impression on the finish.
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Wine Spectator
There's plenty to admire in this supple and creamy version, with flavors of salted caramelcovered apple and grilled peach, plus notes of orange sherbet, dried pineapple, shortbread, nougat and toasted hazelnut. A fresh thread of acidity keeps everything in focus and the flavors juicy. Drink now. 3,467 cases 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.
Known for elegant wines that combine power and finesse, Carneros is set in the rolling hills that straddle the southernmost parts of both Sonoma and Napa counties. The cooling winds from the abutting San Pablo Bay, combined with lots of midday California sunshine, create an ideal environment for producing wines with a perfect balance of crisp acidity and well-ripened fruit.
This cooler pocket of California lends itself to growing Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah. Carneros is an important source of sparkling wines made in the style of Champagne as well.