Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
An enticing aroma of toasted oak meets spicy ripe peach and pear flavors in this full-bodied luxuriously creamy wine. It has vanilla, nutmeg and ginger notes and a mouth-coating texture that is also well supported by acidity. Oaky, yes; delicious and balanced, also yes.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: I am always looking for wines that overdeliver for the $$$, and the 2016 Shannon Ridge Reserve Chardonnay fulfills that wish. TASTING NOTES: This wine shows up with plenty of rewards in both its aromas and on the palate. Pair its beautifully ripened core fruits and oak accents with bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs in a morel reduction sauce. (Tasted: April 27, 2018, 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.
Located within the greater Clear Lake appellation, the Red Hills AVA is perhaps the hottest spot right now in Lake County for new Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards. Recognizing the potential of its volcanic and obsidian heavy soils, many respected growers are flocking to the area. Andy Beckstoffer, a leader in escalating the quality and recognition of Napa Valley, has already invested heavily in the area.