Winemaker Notes
This vineyard site slopes 40 feet South to North with terrific sun exposure throughout the day and into the sunset. This is a field blend of French clone 95 and clone 76. These wines tend to show their Burgundy heritage.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2022 Chardonnay The North Slope Vineyard is composed of all Dijon 95 and 76 clones and comes, as the name suggests, from the top portion of the estate. On opening, the aromatics are opulent and leap from the glass with notes of toasted spice, a bit of gun flint, pineapple, citrus blossom, and orange peel. Full-bodied, it’s long on the palate with a good deal of persistence, a ripe feel, and a light saline and mouthwatering finish. It takes things up a notch and has a toasty finish that’s true to the house style. It will drink well over the next 5-7 years.
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Vinous
The 2022 Chardonnay The North Slope Vineyard is laced with hints of apricot, butter, mint, sweet spice and a kiss of French oak. Soft, supple contours wrap it all together in style. The North Slope is another impeccable wine in this range.
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.