Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Aromas of papaya, pineapple, ginger and lemon peel drive the nose of this tropical-fruited Chardonnay. The palate brings on an element of roasted apple, barrel spice and a more decadent mouthfeel. The finish vibrates neatly between pithy lemon peel and racy acid with flowers all over. Quite charming.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2023 Chardonnay Sonoma Coast pours a deeper yellow hue and is ripe with aromas of custard, baked apples, preserved citrus, and vanilla. It’s full-bodied, with a supple, rounded feel and a creamy texture through the finish.
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.