Winemaker Notes
The Los Carneros appellation is ideal for growing Chardonnay because of its cooler climate. The cool foggy mornings in conjunction with the afternoon breezes off San Pablo Bay allow the grapes to have a longer than average hang time for flavor development, while still retaining higher natural acidity. The clay loam soil is shallow and limits vine vigor and yield further intensifying the flavor and aroma profile of the resulting wines.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Reductive at first, this wine opens to reveal floral aromas of apple blossom and earth. Crunchy and austere in style, it shows a steely structure and bright acidity throughout, cradled in a well-integrated nuance of French oak.
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Wine Spectator
Focused and fresh-tasting, showing minerally snap to the green apple, pear and lemon-lime flavors. The pure-tasting finish features accents of dried tarragon and wild herbs. Drink now through 2023.
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.
Known for elegant wines that combine power and finesse, Carneros is set in the rolling hills that straddle the southernmost parts of both Sonoma and Napa counties. The cooling winds from the abutting San Pablo Bay, combined with lots of midday California sunshine, create an ideal environment for producing wines with a perfect balance of crisp acidity and well-ripened fruit.
This cooler pocket of California lends itself to growing Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah. Carneros is an important source of sparkling wines made in the style of Champagne as well.