Winemaker Notes
Sojourn has been impressed with how consistently Durell Vineyard has produced wines of exceptional quality and character each vintage. It is simply reliable. Historically, Durell has been the source behind some of the most sought-after Chardonnay wines in California. Sojourn feels fortunate to work with two outstanding vineyard blocks that combine to make a complex and distinctive wine. These blocks have formed the Sojourn Durell Chardonnay since 2012. Both are 100% Old Wente clone, one at the top of the hill and the other in an old rocky creek bed. This 2021 vintage wine offers deep aromas of citrus fruit and apple, with a layer of minerality and fresh acidity that keeps the wine light on the palate.
Blend: 100% Chardonnay
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Fresh, crisp and intense, with succulent ripe pear, melon and citrus zest notes that are aromatic and vivid, revealing orange blossoms, a hint of beeswax and heavy Honeycrisp apple notes on the mouthwatering finish, where a dash of wet rock minerality lingers.
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.