Falcone Chardonnay 2021
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Aromas of pear and citrus blossom precede flavors of classic Chardonnay, lemon drop, racy acidity, wet slate and mouth-watering Meyer lemon.
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Wine Enthusiast
Broad aromas of peach and honeysuckle manage to stay focused and precise on the nose of this bottling from 22-year-old vines at Bien Nacido Vineyard. There's a chalky, alkaline edge to the palate that frames the more generous white flower, coconut and peach flavors.
Other Vintages
2020-
Jeb
Dunnuck
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Jeb
Dunnuck
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Wine
Enthusiast
Since their careers started in the seventies and eighties, they have worked throughout some of California’s great winegrowing regions. Over the years their passion for crafting wines inspired us to plant their own small vineyard in Paso Robles and produce their family brand, Falcone Family Vineyards.
The two of us came to the Central Coast from the Napa Valley after successful stints at Atlas Peak Vineyards (where John was winemaker) and Chimney Rock Winery (where Helen worked as assistant winemaker). They find that the pace of life in the Central Coast is well-suited to their lifestyle both as winemakers and as parents.
Their family’s team approach makes their wines truly special. John oversees farming aspects of their estate vineyard and outside vineyard sources while Helen co-produces the wines and markets them. In 1998 they celebrated the arrival of their daughter Mia, the namesake of their family vineyard. Mia assists with punch-downs, yeast cultures and grape sorting when she’s not at Cal Poly studying Wine Business.
They focus on producing high-quality Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah for various reasons. Perhaps the most important one is that their estate vineyard is ideal for growing Bordeaux and Rhône varietals. In addition to these primary varietals, they also produce a Chardonnay from Sierra Madre Vineyard in the Santa Maria Valley.
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 lesser-known but elite AVA within the larger Santa Barbara district, the Santa Maria Valley AVA runs precisely west to east starting near the coast. The valley funnels cool, Pacific Ocean air to the vineyards more inland, allowing grapes a longer hang time to ripen evenly and achieve their full potential by harvest time. Combined with minimal rainfall, consistent warm sunshine, and well-drained soils, it is an ideal environment for grape growing.
Many of the wineries here are small and highly respected, having established a reputation in the 1970s and 80s for producing excellent Central Coast wines like Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. More recently, Syrah has also proven quite successful in the region. Many vineyards are owned by growers who sell their grapes to other wineries, so it is common to see the same vineyard name on bottlings from different wineries. Bien Nacido Vineyard is perhaps the best-known and most prestigious.