Winemaker Notes
The Screen Door Cellars Chardonnay from the Green Valley in the Russian River opens up with an explosion for aroma. A bright, vibrant, yellow color in the glass precludes aromas of lemon curd, apricot, crème brûlée, wet stone, lime zest and flint. Half of this wine has been concrete egg fermented and the other half fermented in French oak barrels, creating a mouthfeel and flavor that is both rich and full. A smooth entry leads to bright citrus acidity with a balanced creamy long finish.
This is a complex and complete Chardonnay that will pair perfectly with good company on your front porch (and with most any meal).
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
Authenticity is one of my key markers when judging wines; Screen Door Cellars is as realm as it gets. The 2022 Screen Door Cellars excels with aromas and flavors of savory herbs, exotic spices, and dried earth. Enjoy it with a lightly seasoned, oven-baked chicken. (Tasted: December 24, 2024, San Francisco, CA)
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 standout region for its decidedly Californian take on Burgundian varieties, the Russian River Valley is named for the eponymous river that flows through it. While there are warm pockets of the AVA, it is mostly a cool-climate growing region thanks to breezes and fog from the nearby Pacific Ocean.
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir reign supreme in Russian River, with the best examples demonstrating a unique combination of richness and restraint. The cool weather makes Russian River an ideal AVA for sparkling wine production, utilizing the aforementioned varieties. Zinfandel also performs exceptionally well here. Within the Russian River Valley lie the smaller appellations of Chalk Hill and Green Valley. The former, farther from the ocean, is relatively warm, with a focus on red and white Bordeaux varieties. The latter is the coolest, foggiest parcel of the Russian River Valley and is responsible for outstanding Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.