Winemaker Notes
Balanced vines and temperature fluctuations resulted in layers of flavors and complexity in the wines. The overall high quality of the vintage is a blessing after such challenging events Our 2017 Durell Vineyard grapes were harvested in separate blocks and fermented in a combination of new and used French oak barrels from top coopers. We split the pick of the Barn block to retain freshness in an early pick while gaining aromatic complexity in a late pick. This wine displays outstanding energy on the palate, with citrus and stone fruits and a long, clean finish.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Chardonnay Durell Vineyard springs from the glass with decadent creme brulee, pineapple upside down cake and toasted almond scents over a core of honeydew melon and baked apricots. Medium to full-bodied, intensely flavored, creamy and seductive in the mouth, it packs-in the tropical and stone fruit flavors with loads of savory nuances and a spicy kick coming through on the finish.
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James Suckling
Papaya, dried nutmeg, spices and mango pie. Medium to full body, an oily texture and a fruit-driven finish.
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Wine Spectator
Lithe and well-structured, with concentrated lemon curd, green apple and tangerine flavors, backed by fresh acidity. The minerally finish features saline and dried savory herbal nuances. Drink now through 2023.
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Wine Enthusiast
Thick and concentrated in rich flavors of pineapple and pear, this is from a section of the famous vineyard that is low yielding and intense. Sizable oak presents as toasted and supportive, leading to a nutty earthy 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.