Diora La Splendeur du Soleil Chardonnay 2018
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The Somm
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This Chardonnay has a beautiful, golden hue with aromas of apples that mingle with toasted oak and hints of peach cobbler, coconut and pineapple. The delicate flavors of crème brûlée and vanilla bean give way to lovely notes of key lime, white peach and butterscotch in a medium-bodied mouthfeel.
Professional Ratings
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The Somm Journal
Sensuous aromas of chamomile, baked apple, and lemon curd leave a lasting impression. The clean palate offers notes of lemon meringue with toasted coconut and vanilla-apple custard. Bright acidity lights up the creamy texture, revealing key lime and a dot of salinity on the finish
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Wine Enthusiast
Aromas of smoked apple, red pear and chamomile show on the nose of this bottling. There’s a flashy sizzle of acidity on the palate, where pineapple, Asian pear, toast and white peach make for a rich, creamy expression.
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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 geographic and climatic paradise for grape vines, Monterey is a part of the greater Central Coast AVA and contains within it five smaller sub-appellations, including Arroyo Seco, San Lucas, San Bernabe, Hames Valley and the famous Santa Lucia Highlands. The climate is relatively warm but tempered by cool, coastal winds, allowing the regions in Monterey County an exceptionally long growing season. Bud break often happens two weeks sooner and harvest tends to be two weeks later compared to other surrounding regions.
Monterey’s coastal side, where the cooling ocean fog allows grapes to develop a perfect sugar-acid balance, excels in the production of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Riesling. Warmer, inland subzones are home to fleshy, concentrated and full-bodied reds like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Zinfandel.
Chardonnay, covering about 40% of vineyard acreage, is the most widely planted grape in all of Monterey County.