Winemaker Notes
The color is a very cheerful light bright green gold with an aroma of toasted hazelnuts, stone fruits, orange flowers, white pepper and hints of wasabi. It is medium weight on the palate, beautifully structured with mouthwatering acidity and luscious, fresh citrusy white nectarine fruit. There’s a very alluring note of ginger that runs from the aroma through the palate. The wine has a 'juicy' quality, how can that be?! It’s almost 'Juicy Fruit'-like, not sweet but literally yummy and lively in the mouth. Long lingering crisp finish, a classic hillside Chardonnay.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A classic, old-school-style chardonnay from a later bottling, with a lovely mountainous character and aromas of salted lemons and nuts, lanolin, beeswax and honeysuckle. The palate is textural and rounded, showing a bright line of acidity that carries through the balanced, poised finish. A ready-to-drink white with plenty of charm.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Always showing a slightly deep golden hue, the 2021 Chardonnay Spring Mountain District has richer aromatics of stone fruits, croissants, and buttered orange. These carry over to the palate, where the wine is medium-bodied, has a pure, layered, textured mouthfeel, bright yet integrated acidity, and a good finish. It's a singular style of Chardonnay that certainly has plenty of appeal and charm.
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Wine Spectator
Intense and generous, with notes of candied lemon peel, grilled peach, apricot preserves and fresh ginger, plus a drizzle of wildflower honey. There's vibrant, juicy acidity at the core, and details of spices and toast linger in the background. Drink now. 1,001 cases made.
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.
Above the town of St. Helena on the eastern slopes of the Mayacamas Mountains sits the Spring Mountain District.
A dynamic region, its vineyards, cut by numerous springs and streams, vary in elevation, slope and aspect. Soils differ throughout with over 20 distinct types inside of the 8,600 acres that define the appellation. Within that area, only about 1,000 are planted to vineyards. Predominantly farmed by small, independent producers, the region currently has just over 30 wineries.
During the growing season, late afternoon Pacific Ocean breezes reach the Spring Mountain vineyards, which sit at between 400 and 1,200 feet. Daytime temperatures during mid summer and early fall remain slightly cooler than those of the valley floor.
Spring Mountain soils—volcanic matter and sedimentary rock—create intense but balanced reds with lush and delicate tannins. The area excels with Bordeaux varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot and in some cooler spots, Chardonnay.