Winemaker Notes
Rich, inviting nose with an elegantly firm structure and a smooth lingering finish. This wine draws you in with its bright aromas of lemon zest, butterscotch cream, and hints of tart Granny Smith apple and caramel. Its youthful body is soft and silky on the palate. Pair this wine with grilled chicken or salmon with fresh herbs or sip on this without food! This wine will age gracefully for years to come.
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
A serious Chardonnay at a price below $40 certainly raises eyebrows. Full- bodied but balanced with fresh acidity and braced by notable oak, it shows aromas of baking spices, roasted nuts, and baked apple, while notes of mango and ripe peach add breadth to the flavor profile. Aging for 13 months in French oak barrels-more than one-third of them new-imparts evident wood character that's a welcome addition to the wine's weight and depth of flavor.
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 standout region for its decidedly Californian take on Burgundian varieties, the Russian River Valley is named for the eponymous river that flows through it. While there are warm pockets of the AVA, it is mostly a cool-climate growing region thanks to breezes and fog from the nearby Pacific Ocean.
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir reign supreme in Russian River, with the best examples demonstrating a unique combination of richness and restraint. The cool weather makes Russian River an ideal AVA for sparkling wine production, utilizing the aforementioned varieties. Zinfandel also performs exceptionally well here. Within the Russian River Valley lie the smaller appellations of Chalk Hill and Green Valley. The former, farther from the ocean, is relatively warm, with a focus on red and white Bordeaux varieties. The latter is the coolest, foggiest parcel of the Russian River Valley and is responsible for outstanding Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.