Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Enthusiast
Lightly toasted almond, melted butter, chalk and Meyer lemon scents are delicately woven together in this expressive yet restrained bottling. There is well dispersed acidic energy throughout the palate, where smoked lemon flavors lead into sea salt and white flower notes on the finish.
-
Wine Spectator
Fresh and crunchy, with ripe nectarine, baked apple and lemon meringue flavors, supported by firm acidity. The spicy finish offers lemon curd and pastry notes. Drink now through 2022.
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.
Perhaps the most highly regarded appellation within Monterey County, Santa Lucia Highlands AVA benefits from a combination of warm morning sunshine and brisk afternoon breezes, allowing grapes to ripen slowly and fully. The result is concentrated, flavorful wines that retain their natural acidity. Wineries here do not shy away from innovation, and place a high priority on sustainable viticultural practices.
The climatic conditions here are perfectly suited to the production of ripe, rich Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. These Burgundian varieties dominate an overwhelming percentage of plantings, though growers have also found success with Syrah, Riesling and Pinot Gris.