District 7 Chardonnay 2021
-
Panel
Tasting -
Enthusiast
Wine
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
This 2021 Chardonnay is pure Monterey. The aromas are fresh and extroverted with notes of yellow apple, stone fruit and pear, accented by hints of vanilla and caramel. On the palate, it is medium bodied, crisp and balanced with bright fruit and lingering notes of sweet oak on the finish. The combination of fruit, viscosity and structure ensures this Chardonnay can accompany a wide variety of foods from soft cheeses to roasted chicken or seafood.
Professional Ratings
-
Tasting Panel
This wine is made from fruit grown in certified-sustainable estate vineyards on Monterey County's cool north side. Aged in stainless steel and (35% new) French oak for six months, it offers fragrant notes of lily, yellow apple, and candied ginger. The pillow-soft texture fills the mouth with a layer of cream custard before the glorious finish arrives with a coating of lemon chiffon and pound cake.
-
Wine Enthusiast
This widely available, affordable bottling should satisfy Chardonnay fans. Clean lines of honey, sandalwood, preserved lemon and salt show on the nose, while a lemony, grapefruit-laced acidity cuts against the buttercream and custard flavors of the palate.
Other Vintages
2020-
Panel
Tasting
- Decanter
-
Wong
Wilfred
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.