Winemaker Notes
The 2018 Kali Hart Chardonnay is the most fruit-forward in the Talbott portfolio. Grown in cool climates, Kali Hart is an exceptionally refreshing Chardonnay. Notes of ripe stone fruit and juicy tropical notes meet aromas of Madagascar vanilla for a bright mouthfeel straight through to the finish.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Gravenstein apple, fresh pear and a hint of gardenia make for a clean and broad nose in this always solid bottling. It’s plush and round on the palate, where baked white-peach and vanilla flavors are lifted by clove and cinnamon accents.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2018 Talbott™ Kali Hart® Chardonnay drinks long and easily. TASTING NOTES: This wine nicely combines ripe fruit with just the right amount of savory spices. Pair it with a lightly-spiced chicken stew. (Tasted: February 13, 2020, San Francisco, CA)
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 geographic and climatic paradise for grape vines, Monterey is a part of the greater Central Coast AVA and contains within it five smaller sub-appellations, including Arroyo Seco, San Lucas, San Bernabe, Hames Valley and the famous Santa Lucia Highlands. The climate is relatively warm but tempered by cool, coastal winds, allowing the regions in Monterey County an exceptionally long growing season. Bud break often happens two weeks sooner and harvest tends to be two weeks later compared to other surrounding regions.
Monterey’s coastal side, where the cooling ocean fog allows grapes to develop a perfect sugar-acid balance, excels in the production of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Riesling. Warmer, inland subzones are home to fleshy, concentrated and full-bodied reds like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Zinfandel.
Chardonnay, covering about 40% of vineyard acreage, is the most widely planted grape in all of Monterey County.