Winemaker Notes
The perfect balance of body and acidity makes this an ideal food wine. Recipe ingredients which complement the wine are almonds, hazelnuts, tarragon, lime zest and lemon thyme. Restrained use of mild mustard is also a good match. Serve with seafood or lighter meats.
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Enthusiast
This is a lovely, well-made white, bursting in tones of vanilla and biscuits on the nose. It is lush and layered on the light-bodied frame, the oak integrated and subtle, with flavors of green apple and mango.
-
Wine & Spirits
This supple, juicy chardonnay has scents of white pear and jasmine. The succulent fruit is overlaid with creamy butterscotch notes, though the wine remains salty and briny, finishing dry, for veal blanquette.
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.
As one of Napa’s coolest sub-appellations, the area begs for diversity among its vineyards. Merlot and Chardonnay firmly compete with Cabernet Sauvignon for a place here. Some of Napa’s best Zinfandels also come from the Oak Knoll District.
Situated far in Napa’s southern end, Oak Knoll receives a strong cooling influence from both the San Pablo Bay and the Pacific Coast’s evening fog and breezes. Summer days are warm but on average ten degrees cooler than in St. Helena farther north up the valley; summer nights are chilly. A long growing season promotes for leisurely ripening of grape berries, resulting in an impressive balance of sugars, phenols and acidity.
Notable producers include Trefethen, one of the appellation’s oldest wineries, Robert Biale, legendary Zinfandel producer and Lewis Cellars, a family-run, hands-on establishment.