Winemaker Notes
Our Sonoma Coast Chardonnay is produced with the minimal use of new oak, to allow the bright varietal character to shine through. It was harvested from select vineyards located in the Sonoma Coast appellation, including the cooler microclimates of western Carneros, southern Sonoma Valley and the Petaluma Gap. It has a spicy apple aroma with hints of nutmeg and cream. Silky textured, it has delicate flavors of fresh fennel, pear and ripe apple. Try it paired with aged cheeses such as Gouda or Manchego, or with delicate seafood dishes, soups and pastas.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Fresh floral and lemon-scented nose leading to flavours of light-baked pineapple, lemongrass and verbena, well-integrated oak and saline minerality. A tight style of Chardonnay that shows gentle oak and good focus on the balance of malic and lactic acid.
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Tasting Panel
A balanced caress of creamy vanilla, lemon brioche, and fine acidity keeps this wine on its tiptoes. Aged in stainless steel, it’s crisp and clean on the palate, and minimal use of new oak allows for its vibrant nature to shine through in sensational notes of white peach and tangerine.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2019 Schug Sonoma Coast Chardonnay is pure, honest, and delicious. TASTING NOTES: This wine sports aromas and flavors of mineral notes, ripe apple, and tart citrus. Enjoy it with grilled prawns and raw oysters on a platter.
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James Suckling
Ripe-mango, nectarine, dried-lemon, crushed-hazelnut and salted-caramel aromas. It’s full-bodied with bright acidity. Flavorful with a lightly saline 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.
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.