Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Vinous
The 2015 Chardonnay is in the zone right now. It's an unusually rich Chardonnay from Stony Hill, a reflection of a vintage marked by low yields and warm weather. Apricot, white flowers, spice and tropical inflections caress the palate. Soaring floral overtones lift the delicate, wonderfully nuanced finish. This turns more and more refined with time in the glass.
-
Wine Enthusiast
Woody, expansive, gritty and grippy, this is an exotic, delicately layered wine from the historic producer, so good in its complexity and lightness of being. Bread and salted butter greet lemon zest and stone fruit along with a line of sophisticated acidity and stony mineral intrigue. This wine will do well in the cellar; enjoy 2025–2030. Cellar Selection
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.