Maritana Vineyards La Riviere Chardonnay 2017
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James
Suckling -
Wilfred
Wong -
Wine
Enthusiast
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This is very subtle and complete with cooked lemons and apples and a complement of straw and gunpowder. Full-bodied, deep and layered with an ever attractive finish of fruit and minerals. Why wait? Drink now.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2017 Maritana La Riviere is an outstanding Chardonnay. TASTING NOTES: This wine combines components that fit perfectly together. Its superior aromas and flavors exhibit dried earth, savory spices, and stone fruits. Pair it with crab or lobster in a decadent cream sauce. (Tasted: May 16, 2020, San Francisco, CA)
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Wine Enthusiast
From three separate sites, Winemaker Donald Patz has crafted a wine with an effusive nose of caramel, oak, pear and honey. The full-bodied palate is balanced by firm tannins and heightened acidity. Overall, it’s fresh and fleshy in equal measure.
Other Vintages
2019-
James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker -
Jeb
Dunnuck
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James
Suckling -
Wine
Enthusiast
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.