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Every wine tells a story
Image Credit: Swallowtail
Chardonnay
The Grape
Chardonnay is a green-skinned grape variety used to make white wine that originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern France. It is one of the most widely-planted grape varieties, with over 400,000 acres worldwide. Chardonnay is typically grown in cooler wine growing regions that are affected by morning fog and wind.
In California, Chardonnay is grown in Los Carneros, Russian River Valley, Central Coast, Napa Valley, Coombsville, Sonoma Valley, Sonoma Coast, Adelaide, The Antelope Valley, and the River Junction. Worldwide, Chardonnay is grown in France, notably Chablis and Burgundy, South Africa, South America, Australia, and Italy.
The Wine
Chardonnay has a light natural flavor resembling stone fruit and lime with low to heavy minerals, depending on where it is grown. In cool climates, Chardonnay tends to have flavors of green apple and pear. In more moderate climates, the flavors of citrus, peach, and melon become more prominant. In warmer locations, notes of fig, tropical fruit, banana and mango are common.
When placed in oak barrels, the wine will undergo malolactic fermentation, and will have softer more balanced acidity transitioning the fruit flavors to more oak and hazelnut and creating a buttery mouthfeel.
Perfect Pairings
Light and crisp with good acidity, Chardonnay should be paired with roast vegetables, roast chicken, and other white meats such as turkey. Heavily oak influenced Chardonnays, tend to go better with smokey and spicy foods such as barbecue, Thai, and Indian foods.
Oaked Chardonnay pairs very well with aged gouda and smoked cheddar. Unoaked Chardonnay pairs well with tangy cheeses like goat cheese and Morbier.
Shop Chardonnay Wines
$20 flat fee shipping on purchases of 1-12 bottles
Tasting Notes
Because this wine is made and aged in stainless tanks, the fruit is crisp and clean: initially notes of Green Apple and Pear are predominant when served chilled properly, and give way to Melon notes with a hint of Citrus as the wine warms in the glass. The mouthfeel is especially creamy due to the fact that it has undergone 100% malolactic fermentation, converting harsh malic acids to softer, milky ones.
Terroir
Grapes from this wine come from two Sonoma vineyards: one from southern Sonoma County in Carneros and the other from the Russian River area. Carneros is the cooler climate, with wind and fog prevalent conditions, meaning longer growing time, higher acidity and leaner fruit, while Russian River fruit tends to be riper and fatter in style. By blending fruit from the two distinctive areas, this wine results in high acidity and clean, crisp fruit leaning toward green apple and citrus, but with a nice, plump mid-palate of pear and melon.
Varietal: 100% Chardonnay
Region: Sonoma County, California
Alcohol: 14.0%
Limited Production - 222 Cases
Bronze Medal - San Francisco Chronicle
2012 Coruce Chardonnay: This wine from the Antelope Valley is comprised of 95% Chardonnay and 5% Viognier. Whole cluster pressed and settled for 3 days and then racked off its solids. Cold fermented for 35 days in stainless steel tanks and pressed off its lees and aged for 9 months in 3 year old French Oak barrels.
This wine has a combination of flavors and aromas of hazelnut, pear and citrus ending with a lingering toasty green apple finish. Serve chilled.
Gold Medal - San Francisco Chronicle
2013 Coruce Chardonnay Antelope Valley
The wine is comprised of 95% Chardonnay, 3% Viognier and 2% Semillion. Whole cluster pressed and settled for 3 days and then racked off the solids. Cold fermented for 26 days in stainless steel tanks and racked off the lees and aged for 12 months in 3 year old French oak barrels.
The wine has a combination of flavors and aromas of hazelnut, pear, green apple and pineapple with a lingering toasty finish. Nice acidity
92 Points - Matt Kettmann, Wine Enthusiast Magazine
92 Points - Dr. Rusty Gaffney, "The Prince of Pinot"
10% Discount On Purchase Of A Case
Tasting Notes
This is my very first Chardonnay and I made it about as simply as you can. That said, there’s nothing simple about this wine! Pressed directly into barrels, it went through both primary and secondary fermentation on its own. All in all, this was fermenting for 8-9 months non-stop. I just stirred the lees every two weeks and that was about it! It’s a total olfactory wine. The powerful nose contains hints of crisp pineapple, melty banana, green apple, vanilla bean, creme brulee and that classic marine-influenced Santa Maria je ne sais qois that is synonymous with the region. On the palette, the wine pays off the nose perfectly with an added twist of Meyer lemon and peach juice to boot. Full malolactic fermentation added a plushness up front, but there’s great acid on this wine that carries it through and builds to a nice crisp snap on the finish, which just goes on and on and on. Thine lips shalt smack!
Limited Production 5 Barrels Produced
20% Discount On Bottle Price With Purchase Of A Case
Vineyard Profile
The Sonoma Coast is a world-renowned growing region known worldwide for its microclimates that contribute to slow grape maturation and optimum ripeness.
Situated just west of the Russian River Laguna, the Indindoli Vineyard is a premiere site for cooler climate Chardonnay. Sitting just outside of the Green Valley appellation, this vineyard experiences cool coastal fog in the mornings and afternoons coming in from the Petaluma Gap to the south. The Black Knight Vineyard on Sonoma Mountain is a much warmer and diverse mountainside vineyard. Planted to five clones of Chardonnay and spanning several soil types, this 30-acre parcel brings great complexity to the blend.
Winemaker's Notes
Pale golden straw in color with very focused and fresh aromas of lemon crème, kiwi, kefir lime and Gravenstein apple. An underpinning of sweet shortcake and vanilla adds complexity and richness. The palate follows the nose: crisp, precise citrus and green apple bring brightness while secondary flavors of tasted shortbread, sweet cream, and subtle spice bring the wine into balance. The finish is long and lingering, drawn through the palette by refreshing acidity and wet rock minerality.
Technical Data
Appellation: Sonoma
Clone Selection: Varied
Harvest: September 23, 2014 (Indindoli Vineyard) October 11, 2014 (Black Knight Vineyard)
Aging/Fermentation: 100% Barrel Fermented in European Oak, 30% New
Alcohol: 14.2%
pH: 3.4
TA: 5.9
GOLD MEDAL - 2015 Sonoma County Harvest Fair
20% Discount On Bottle Price With Purchase Of A Case
Vineyard Profile
Winemaker's Notes
Technical Data
Varietal Composition: 100% Chardonnay
Appellation: Sonoma Coast
Vineyard: Indinoli Vineyard
Bottled: July 2014
Fermentation: 100% Barrel Fermented, mL Complete
Alcohol: 14.2%
Release Date: October 15, 2015
Limited Production 146 Cases
$20 flat fee shipping on purchases of 1-12 bottles
Tasting Notes
With flavors of green apple, pear, and melon, this rich and lightly-oaked Chardonnay is the perfect complement to fish, chicken, and foods with cream-based sauces and becomes increasingly elegant as it warms in the glass.
Terroir
Grapes for this wine come from two Sonoma vineyards: one from southern Sonoma County in Carneros and the other from the Russian River area. Carneros is the cooler climate, with wind and fog prevalent conditions, meaning longer growing time, higher acidity and leaner fruit, while Russian River fruit tends to be riper and fatter in style. By blending fruit from the two distinctive areas, this wine results in high acidity and clean, crisp fruit leaning toward green apple and citrus, but with a nice, plump mid-palate of pear and melon.
Varietal: 100% Chardonnay
Region: Sonoma County, California
Limited Production - 222 Cases
Double Gold - 2017 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition
"Best of Class" / Gold Medal – 2016 Sunset Magazine International Wine Competition
Gold Medal / 90 Points – 2016 Central Coast Wine Competition
Gold Medal – 2016 Orange County Wine Society Wine Competition
"Best of Class" / Gold Medal / 92 Points - 2016 Los Angeles International Wine Competition
Silver Medal / 89 points - 2016 Critics Challenge International Wine Competition
5% OFF OF A PURCHASE OF 6-11 BOTTLES
10% OFF THE PURCHASE OF A CASE.
$1.00 SHIPPING ON ALL ORDERS OF 6 BOTTLES OR MORE TO CA
$9.99 SHIPPING ON ALL ORDERS OF 6 BOTTLES OR MORE SHIPPED OUTSIDE OF CA
Tasting Notes
Limited Production 465 cases
$20 flat fee shipping on purchases of 1-12 bottles
Tasting Notes
With flavors of green apple, pear, and melon, this rich and lightly-oaked Chardonnay is the perfect complement to fish, chicken, and foods with cream-based sauces and becomes increasingly elegant as it warms in the glass.
Terroir
Grapes for this wine come from two Sonoma vineyards: one from southern Sonoma County in Carneros and the other from the Russian River area. Carneros is the cooler climate, with wind and fog prevalent conditions, meaning longer growing time, higher acidity and leaner fruit, while Russian River fruit tends to be riper and fatter in style. By blending fruit from the two distinctive areas, this wine results in high acidity and clean, crisp fruit leaning toward green apple and citrus, but with a nice, plump mid-palate of pear and melon.
Varietal: 100% Chardonnay
Region: Sonoma County, California
Limited Production - 222 Cases
Tasting Notes
Green apple, spice, white flowers on the nose, sweet, simple, touch of citrus, green apple on the mouth, slight hint of oak, medium finish accentuated by the residual sugar.
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Appellation: Anderson Valley
The 2016 Chardonnay offers up aromas of spiced pears, ripe peaches, popcorn and buttered toast with a waft of cedar. Medium to full-bodied with grippy texture and a lively backbone cutting through the intense flavors, it finishes long and spicy.
-Robert Parker, January 2018 Wine Advocate
Light toasted notes with white flower and Asian pear with subtle hints of vanilla. The wine is bright and vibrant with the same Asian pear showing through on the palate.
-Tom Foster, Winemaker
Napa Valley Chardonnay
Estate Grown - Coombsville
Berry Lane Vineyard
Alc. – 14.8%
Tasting Notes
Extra spicy on the nose, Meyer lemon curd, the mouth is citrus, white stone fruit (nectarine peach) floral character on honeysuckle and lemon flower. Rich, long finish. Nice notes of new French oak, combined with some barrel character from the Foudre. Rich long finish, Grapefruit
Made from Italian clone grapes / 400 gallons / fermented in Foudre
A Foudre is a large wooden vat, it can contain up to 300 hectoliters and more. This word is coming from the German " Fuder " translated as « cartful, containing », having entered in the French language in the 16th C. This type of vat is to be found particularly in the Mediterranean vineyards. The use of Foudre for maturation results from a long wine tradition, but its interest is also linked to the volume, the thickness of staves and the age of the vat.
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Appellation: Mendocino Ridge
7.5% discount off the purchase of a case
$0.01 shipping on orders of 4 bottles or more shipped to California
$15.00 shipping on orders of 6 bottles or more shipped outside of California
$0.01 shipping on orders of a 12 bottle case shipped outside of California
Winemaking
This is my take on a Chablis, made with California fruit. It was fermented in neutral oak barrels to give it the roundness and viscosity you expect in a California Chardonnay, without the toasty, oaky flavors. It was aged on the lees for 17 months, with only occasional stirring. It has not gone through malolactic fermentation, so the crispness is more like a Sauvignon Blanc than a Chardonnay.
The Wine
Our Chardonnay comes from a fog shrouded micro vineyard just 9 miles from the Sonoma Coast, just south of the town of Sebastopol. The Wente clone offers great citrus and floral flavors with a rich mouth and crisp acidity. It’s not oaky and not buttery.
2017 Knight's Valley AVA - Sonoma County
"Sonoma freshness meets California ripeness."
15.6% ABV
