Fort Ross Vineyard Chardonnay 2019
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James
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Spectator
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
This golden hued Chardonnay has just the slightest haze, evidence of subtle stirring of the lees and bottling without fining or filtration. Aromas of melons, apricots and lemon meringue are framed by a hint of hazelnut. The focused palate of full, succulent Chardonnay fruit flavors are enlivened by the vineyard's signature minerality. The graceful finish lingers with finesse and elegance. This finely-structured Chardonnay from an to evolve for many years.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This lengthy wine from the coastal estate is dark golden in color, with a great mouthfeel of tension and supple tannin. Vibrant flavors of apple, Asian pear and melon give it substance within a light, refined style.
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James Suckling
Aromas of matchstick, lemon grass, oyster shell and lily. Medium-to full-bodied with very good complexity and structure. Citrus and straw mix on the palate. Stony finish. Drink or hold.
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Wine Spectator
A refined and open-textured style, with spicy richness to the cream-filled white fruit flavors. Pastry accents midpalate lead to buttery notes on the fresh and engaging finish.
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Connoisseurs'
Guide
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Enthusiast -
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Nestled on a sunny coastal ridge, overlooking the Pacific Ocean a mile below, Fort Ross'"True Sonoma Coast" vineyard is one of the closest, if not the closest, to the ocean in all of California. From the vineyard you can see the breaking surf and the misty silhouettes of Bodega Head and Pt. Reyes far below. The vineyard's high elevation above the coastal fog and its proximity to the ocean provide a gentle, sunny and temperate climate that has proved to be very favorable for the slow and even ripening of Burgundian varietals.
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.
On the far western edge of the larger Sonoma Coast appellation, the Fort Ross-Seaview AVA hugs right up against the Pacific coast. Vineyards, planted at rugged elevations between 920 to 1,800 feet, occupy only two percent of the total land in the AVA. Fort Ross-Seaview growers believe that the region boasts an ideal mix of sunshine, cool air and beneficial stress for producing high quality Chardonnay and Pinot noir.