The Data

Country   USA

Appellation   Russian River Valley

Varietal   Chardonnay

Retail Price   $65

ABV   13.8%

Score   4.5 Stars/94 points

In the Glass

Brilliant, medium golden color.

The aromatics are intense, offering scents of apricot stone, spring flowers, and wet stones with supporting notes of citrus zest, kiwi, toasted hazelnut, and honeysuckle.

The palate echoes the nose delivering a ripe orchard fruits-driven core with flavors of white peach, orange peel, lemon curd, and brioche. The finish is long and lingering.

Medium to full-bodied and perfectly balanced with an opulent texture.

Cool Factor

Chardonnay is so ubiquitous that making it cool is a chore. To do so, it must be sourced from the best vineyards in the best appellations and made with great restraint, allowing the true flavors to be the star of the show. Bravo!

Value Grade

Handmade Chardonnay from Russian River crafted in limited quantities is never found in the bargain aisle, but we find this wine irresistible. Just 345 cases produced.

Analysis

The Martaella Vineyard is located in the Russian River Valley area known as the Laguna de Santa Rosa. The climate here is influenced by creeping fog from the Pacific that cools the area as much as 40F degrees in a matter of an hour. The vineyard is planted densely with vines. When vines battle each other for water, the fruit becomes more intense and complex. 2022 witnessed the earliest harvest ever of this vineyard. The yields were lower due to frost in April and hail in May, but the fruit was spectacular despite the struggles. The grapes were hand-harvested in the morning and gently pressed. The juice was chilled, settled, and inoculated with Montrachet yeast then transferred to French 500 liter casks (25% new, 75% neutral) for fermentation and aging — 10 months in all. The results are delicious — ideally balanced, opulent while racy with natural acidity.

How to Enjoy

This wine needs nothing but a glass but it is food friendly with its great depth and loads of natural acidity. A perfect foil to rich cream sauces, or you can pair like with like, opting for lemon-accented fish and fowl.