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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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2023 Chardonnay The Cahill Lane Vineyard is bright yellow and, similar to The Estate Vineyards, has hints of white mushroom and musky notes, along with toasted baking spice, poached yellow apples, and hay. The palate is supple and full-bodied, with a creamy texture, a fruity feel through the mid-palate, and notes of almond on the finish.
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Vinous
The 2023 Chardonnay Cahill Lane Vineyard, 100% Wente clone, is another attractive wine in this range. Lemon peel, marzipan, tangerine peel and tangerine oil inflections grace this understated, classy Chardonnay. All the elements are well balanced, within the smaller-scaled style of the year.
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.