Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: While I have enjoyed and admired the Williams Selyem Chardonnays in past vintages, the 2017 Drake Estate Vineyard could be one of the most memorable Chards I have enjoyed this year. TASTING NOTES: This wine is more than just a blowsy fruit bomb; it is a wine that tops the charts. Its ultra-intense and alluring aromas and flavors of ripe peach skin and earthy, savory spice should pair well with a slow-cooked chicken stew with morels. (Tasted: July 30, 2019, San Francisco, CA)
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Chardonnay Drake Estate Vineyard offers scents of quince peel, green apple, cheese rind and baker's yeast, opening to notes of dried chamomile, toast and almonds. It's light to medium-bodied and lively in the mouth with creamy/nutty touches, tangy acidity and a long, almond-tinged finish. 352 cases produced.
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.