Sean Minor California Series Chardonnay 2021
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Wine Enthusiast
Overall, this Chardonnay offers a great balance of flavors and textures with well-integrated oak and lees notes alongside the ripe fruit profile. Find notes of lemon, lime, green apple, yogurt and cheese with sprinklings of nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla.
Meet Sean
Born in Kansas, Sean Minor was surrounded by agriculture, hard work, and the values responsible for the unwavering work ethic of Midwestern families. His career in wine began after a formal education in finance from Arizona State University where he also met his wife, Nicole. After moving to California, where Sean began his fine wine career working for Napa Valley’s Beaulieu Vineyard, he knew that the wine industry was the right place for him. He furthered his education at U.C. Davis in Viticultural and Enology.
Our Winemaker
Will Bucklin continues to be our consulting winemaker, as he collaborates with Sean during the winemaking process of all of our wines. Will is a graduate of UC Davis’ prestigious enology program and started his career with an internship at the historic and world-renowned Chateau Lafite Rothschild. Following stints with Thomas Hardy in Australia and Navarro Vineyards in Mendocino, he worked with Sean at King Estate in Oregon. Together, Will and Sean work closely with the vineyards we contract, and their collaborative efforts create the consistent wines we sell today.
Sean was recruited by King Estate Winery in Oregon to manage the Estate, where he learned firsthand the importance of site-specific viticulture. After leaving King Estate, Sean led Benton Lane Winery, rounding out his cool-climate viticulture experience. Sean and his family then headed back to California for the opportunity to manage Renwood Winery and enhance his experience growing and marketing some of the Golden State’s best Zinfandel and Syrah. Four years later, he founded Sean Minor Wines.
California’s most praised white wine, Chardonnay is also the state’s most planted white grape variety. Diverse terrain and microclimates allow for an incredible range of wine styles.
Chardonnay planted in the cooler, coastal zones takes on bright characteristics like lemon zest, key lime, green apple and wet flint. For this style, look to the chilly Sonoma Coast, Carneros, Santa Cruz Mountains, Santa Lucia Highlands and Edna Valley.
The inland zones of California’s coast, such as the Russian River, Sonoma, Napa and Livermore Valleys maintain a more Goldilocks-esque climate where both styles go. Early picking retains acidity and creates a leaner style but leaving the grapes to hang creates an approachable Chardonnay, balancing richness and finesse.
Chardonnay also plays a major part in the sparkling wine production of the Anderson Valley and Carneros.