Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This rich and modestly buttery wine is warm and appealing from the mellow, butterscotch aromas to the pear and honey flavors that expand on the palate and linger on the finish.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2018 Steele Cuvée Chardonnay brings satisfaction to the palate. TASTING NOTES: This wine brings savory spices, dried earth, and light chalky notes to the fore. Enjoy it with a fragrant bouillabaisse. (Tasted: January 23, 2021, San Francisco, CA)
California’s most praised white wine, Chardonnay is also the state’s most planted white grape variety. Diverse terrain and microclimates allow for an incredible range of wine styles.
Chardonnay planted in the cooler, coastal zones takes on bright characteristics like lemon zest, key lime, green apple and wet flint. For this style, look to the chilly Sonoma Coast, Carneros, Santa Cruz Mountains, Santa Lucia Highlands and Edna Valley.
The inland zones of California’s coast, such as the Russian River, Sonoma, Napa and Livermore Valleys maintain a more Goldilocks-esque climate where both styles go. Early picking retains acidity and creates a leaner style but leaving the grapes to hang creates an approachable Chardonnay, balancing richness and finesse.
Chardonnay also plays a major part in the sparkling wine production of the Anderson Valley and Carneros.