Winemaker Notes
the 2018 Schug Estate Grown Chardonnay offers intense fruit aromas of ripe pear and orange liqueur, complemented by a layer of toasty oak. Bright apple and citrus flavors give way to full-bodied texture and a long finish.
Try pairing this wine with shellfish, cream soups, chicken, veal, or rich pasta dishes.
Professional Ratings
-
Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2018 Schug Carneros Estate Grown Chardonnay is an outstanding effort highlighting the multi-dimensional nuances from the Carneros AVA. TASTING NOTES: This wine brings aromas and flavors of stone fruit, savory spices, and mineral notes to the fore. Enjoy this with roast game birds, mushroom pilaf, and baby spinach.
-
James Suckling
A rich, toasty white with aromas of dried honeysuckle, mango, ripe stone fruit and toasted hazelnut. It’s full-bodied with bright acidity. Spiced with lingering dried citrus-peel and praline notes.
-
Decanter
Scented with ripe, sweet pineapple and honeyed chamomile. Lees stirring gives a complex, yeasty autolytic character to the yoghurty, lactic palate, but it is still fresh. Gentle vanilla and butterscotch oak layered over the fruit gives finesse to this complex wine.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Chardonnay Estate has an open-knit nose of quince, apples and pears with honey-nut nuances. The palate is light to medium-bodied with a good concentration of savory flavors, well-woven freshness and a long finish.
Schug Winery was founded in 1980 with unwavering dedication to Pinot Noir excellence—a specialization that spans 45 years and sets them apart from generalist wineries. Walter Schug, the legendary winemaker who created Joseph Phelps' iconic Insignia, established his legacy in Carneros, where low-intervention Old World winemaking meets California terroir.
Today, 5th-generation German winemaker Johannes Scheid continues this authentic heritage with wines that consistently score 90+ points across their entire portfolio. Johannes trained at Walter's alma mater in Germany, bringing multi-generational European winemaking expertise to their sustainable California practices.
What makes Schug exceptional is their genuine commitment to specialization and authenticity. While others spread their focus across multiple varietals, they've perfected their craft with nearly half a century devoted to exceptional Pinot Noir. This deep expertise, combined with their European winemaking tradition and compelling value proposition, has driven their national expansion and established Schug as a trusted name among wine enthusiasts who appreciate both heritage and quality.
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.