Winemaker Notes
Aromas of lemon curd, plum blossom and almond paste lead to flavors of meyer lemon, graham, pineapple and marcona almond. The finish is complex and long. Pair this wine with avocado toast or lemony grilled chicken.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2021 Chardonnay Estate displays aromatic, orchard fruit, white flowers, mint, lime and kiss of tropical fruit. With time in the glass, this effusive, beautifully perfumed Chardonnay brings out the wine's creaminess and texture.
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Wine Enthusiast
Sharp aromas of lime peel and grapefruit pith introduce the nose to this appellation cuvée. The high-acid palate is very racy and tight, showing brisk apple flesh and squeezed citrus flavors. An ideal Chardonnay for shellfish, and one that will last in the cellar for years.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2021 Chardonnay Estate is terrific, with ripe tangerine and citrus notes as well as minty herb, flowers, and a touch of chalky minerality. It's nicely balanced, has good mid-palate depth, medium body, and a lengthy finish. It would be a great introduction to the quality and style of this notable estate.
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.
The largest and perhaps most varied of California’s wine-growing regions, the Central Coast produces a good majority of the state's wine. This vast California wine district stretches from San Francisco all the way to Santa Barbara along the coast, and reaches inland nearly all the way to the Central Valley.
Encompassing an extremely diverse array of climates, soil types and wine styles, it contains many smaller sub-AVAs, including San Francisco Bay, Monterey, the Santa Cruz Mountains, Paso Robles, Edna Valley, Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Maria Valley.
While the Central Coast California wine region could probably support almost any major grape varietiy, it is famous for a few Central Coast reds and whites. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel are among the major ones. The Central Coast is home to many of the state's small, artisanal wineries crafting unique, high-quality wines, as well as larger producers also making exceptional wines.