Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
From one of the larger vineyards that takes multiple passes to harvest, the 2016 Chardonnay Langley Hill Vineyard is a selection from the site (most goes into the Appellation blend). It’s a classic, complete Chardonnay that has textbook notes of caramelized citrus, white flowers, crushed rocks, and spice. This medium-bodied effort hits the palate with a nicely balanced, rounded texture, integrated acidity, and no shortage of length. Another beautiful wine from this team that does everything right, it grows on you with time in the glass.
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Wine Enthusiast
Crisp but also warm aromas of roasted apple, lemon peel and flint arise on the nose of this bottling of the Clone 4 Chardonnay. There is compelling grip to the sip immediately, revealing bright Meyer lemon, tangerine flesh, almond and oak flavors. Both full bodied and racy, sure to please a wide swath of Chardonnay lovers.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Chardonnay Langley Hill Vineyard opens in the glass with a delicate nose of pear, toasted nuts and chamomile. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, elegantly textural and intense, with a layered mid-palate, tangy acids and a long, chalky finish. It should see out its tenth birthday in style.
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Wine & Spirits
You can taste the redwood-forest mist in the cool feel of this wine. Though the scent is youthfully inexpressive, hinting at jasmine and fruity wild mushrooms, the wine feels open and luxurious. This grows at Fogarty’s coolest chardonnay site, the vines planted in fractured sandstone, delivering a savory white that offers the textural pleasure many wine drinkers seek from a rich California chardonnay, even as it lasts on saline minerality rather than sweetness. It would be delicious decanted for crab.
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 rugged and topographically diverse cool-climate appellation with a rich history, the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA stretches from Half Moon Bay, just south of San Francisco, to the northern border of Monterey County. Elevations range from 800 feet to upwards of 3,000 and microclimates vary substantially depending on which side of the mountains the vineyards lie; cool ocean winds and fog play an important role here. This can be a challenging region in which to grow grapes, but it is well worth the effort. Santa Cruz Mountains wines are noted for balanced acidity levels, often showing great aging potential. Wine has been made here since the 1800s, most notably from the legendary Ridge Vineyards, whose Monte Bello vineyard garners international admiration.
Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon are the stars of this region, while Merlot and Zinfandel also perform quite well. Organic and sustainable vineyard practices are becoming increasingly common.