Winemaker Notes
This vineyard block is 100% Wente clone consisting of "chicken and eggs"; that is, large and tiny berries packed together in each cluster. This is usually the last block to be harvested so it derives much of its richness from an extended hang time.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2022 Chardonnay Cahill Lane Vineyard offers a compelling mix of fruit, depth and structure. Apricot, mint, chamomile, dried flowers, mint and crushed rocks are all beautifully delineated. This shows very good depth and fine balance within the context of the year.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2022 Chardonnay Cahill Lane Vineyard is made entirely from the Wente clone of Chardonnay, from older plantings in the late 1970s and the early 1990s. In the glass, it pours a golden yellow hue, and more flinty and smoky oak aromas lift from the glass, with notes of lilac, preserved lemon, savory herbs, peach, and marzipan. Full-bodied, it’s ripe and fleshy on the palate, with its oak influence carrying all the way through.
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.