Winemaker Notes
This layered wine showcases the beauty of the outstanding Heintz Vineyard in West Sonoma County. The cool growing region produces a wine that intertwines tropical and citrus fruit with aromas of crème brûlée and lemon curd. The palate evokes the region’s long history of apple farming, as this wine exudes flavors of yellow apple skin and baked apple pie. The fresh mineral finish is a hallmark characteristic of Heintz Vineyard Chardonnay. It can be enjoyed for many years to come.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Pouring a medium golden yellow, the 2023 Chardonnay Heintz Vineyard comes from a site composed of pure Goldridge soils that sits right on the edge of Green Valley. It’s bright on the nose with notes of lime zest, white pepper, delicate flint, and white peach, while the palate is ripe, with a medium to full-bodied frame, and in this vintage has mouthwatering tension that cinches the wine, which will likely flesh out as it opens. It has laser-like acidity in this vintage that drives the wine, and the chalky, pithy texture lasts through the finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2023 Chardonnay Heintz Vineyard comes from vines planted in Goldridge soils about 1,000 feet above sea level. Matured for 13 months in 33% new French oak, it has inviting aromas of peach, apricot, honey, roasted almonds and candle wax. The medium-bodied palate is rich yet tense, its concentrated flavors foiled by softly tangy acidity, and it has a long, flint-laced finish.
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.