TASTING NOTE:
The appellation 2017 Chardonnay Russian River Valley spent 12 months in just 20% new French oak. This medium gold-hued Chardonnay offers a beautiful nose of orchard fruits, honeyed citrus, green almonds, toasted bread, and flower oil. Rich, full-bodied, and opulent on the palate, it has subtle background oak, rocking levels of fruit and texture, good acidity, and a great finish.
- Jeb Dunnuck, 96 pts.
The 2017 Chardonnay Russian River Valley is scented of poached pears, lemon peel, baker's yeast and golden apples with touches of citrus blossom and hazelnut. The palate is light to medium-bodied, silky and fresh with pure fruits and a juicy finish.
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 91 pts.
WINEMAKER'S NOTE:
The 2017 Russian River Valley Chardonnay is a blend of our four Russian River Valley Chardonnay vineyards: El Diablo Vineyard on Eastside Road, Banfield Vineyard on Martinelli Road, Ritchie Vineyard on Eastside Road, and the estate Chardonnay vineyard on our Westside Road property. The wine is made with a modest amount of new oak (~20%) to allow the terroir to take center stage. These appellation wines always offer great insight into the region as a whole for a given vintage. In 2017, notes of asian pear, tangerine zest, lemongrass, wet stones, yellow flowers, and burnt sugar are prominent on the nose. On the palate, the wine has a lemon inflected savoriness paired with mouth watering acidity giving it exceptional balance. Peak drinking window: 2020 though 2027.
