Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Masses of lemondrop candy, pineapple tart and mashed ripe pears in this marvelous wine, but that's not all. Buttered toast, creme brulee, bananas sauteed in butter and brown sugar are some of the additional complexities. That makes the wine sound sweet, but it finishes dry. High in alcohol, but balanced, this flamboyant Chardonnay is best enjoyed now.
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Wine Spectator
A flinty, citrus-laced effort, with a tangy pink grapefruit edge to the pippin apple flavors. Fans of pure, ripe Chardonnay, absent evident oak, will find this especially appealing, as it ends with a snappy apple pie freshness. Drink now through 2017. 296 cases made.
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.