Atelier Chardonnay 2021
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Wine
Enthusiast - Decanter
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James
Suckling
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
A nose of Bartlett pear, honeydew melon, and almond paste. The palate is elegant with flavors of apple, lemon curd, nougat, honeycomb, and sea salt with the finish revealing balanced creaminess and a minerality.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Steely in mouthfeel, this vibrant mineral- and acid-driven wine from Ondine Chattan showcases the bright side of Chardonnay's fruit spectrum, with lime juice and Granny Smith apples meeting subtle butter and vanilla notes on the palate and finish.
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Decanter
Bright minerality and petrichor aromas, full of lemon zest and candied orange peel character. Zippy and resinous on the palate.
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James Suckling
This is nicely done with cooked pear, peach and apple, and hints of flint and wood. Some spearmint, too. It’s full-bodied with a creamy, round-textured palate. Dried yogurt. Fresh finish.
Sourced from sustainably farmed Russian River Valley vineyards, owned and operated by acclaimed winegrowing families entrenched in the region for decades. Atelier honors the craft of winemaking, its maker's studio of land and cellar, and the artistic hand of winemaker Ondine Chattan. The glorious Russian River Valley was chosen as the muse for Atelier because of its favorable climatic influence on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and well-established commitment to sustainable winegrowing and innovation.
These esteemed, geographically distinct, family-owned vineyard sites where generations of pride, knowledge, and care cultivate both the fruit and spirit of the land. Selected growing partners are united in their commitment to sustainable farming and conservation. Water-efficiency and low-impact farming practices translate tangibly to fruit and wine quality.
The stylistic vision is one of refinement, of detail, of elegance and structure accentuating the natural facets of select grape varieties. Atelier is crafted through sustainable winegrowing and winemaking processes that are rooted in tradition with an eye to the future to maintain contemporary relevance. The tools and materials of its making are as vital to design execution as the vision. Ondine's years of experience with the Russian River Valley's multi-generational farmers, distinctive soil profiles, numerous microclimates, and long growing season lured us to a handful of beautiful vineyard sites where they saw the potential to construct new silhouettes that reflect their winemaking spirit.
From grape to glass, Atelier is crafted with respect for the planet and its people.
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.