96 Points -
"This bright, effusive wine is juicy in citrus and mango. It’s also flinty and bursting in sea spray, offering a lush, voluptuous midpalate of complex concentration. The contrast leads to a viscous, lengthy finish of floral beauty. —Virginie Boone, Wine Enthusiast, May 2022
Tasting Notes
True to its Carneros roots, the 2018 Sevens Bench Chardonnay carries the hallmark of the region – fruit intensity balanced by and good acidity. The aromas are driven by classic lemon drop, Meyer lemon, and lemongrass. That fruit style follows in the flavors, with the citrus focus carrying through with candied lemon drop balanced by the mineral and flint characters inherent to the region and the clonal selections. Barrel fermentation notes in the background add even more complexity to this elegant wine.
Historic Acclaim
2018: 95 Points, Jeb Dunnuck, jebdunnuck.com, July 2021
2018: 94 Points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous, Jan 2021
2018: 94 Points, L.P.-B., Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, February 2021
2017: 94 Points, Virginie Boone, Wine Enthusiast, October 2020
2017: 94 Points, Jeb Dunnuck, jebdunnuck.com, May 2020
2017: 93 Points Antonio Galloni, Vinous, April 2020
2017: 93 Points L.P.-B., Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, February 2020
2016: 94 Points L.P.-B., Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, October 2018
2015: 91-93 points Antonio Galloni, Vinous, March 2017
Vineyard & Vintage Character
2019 was a classic Vintage in Sonoma County – a relatively cool Vintage that started with some rains in the spring but dried out for a mild summer which had small heat spikes - the first in June and then in September helped ripen fruit. The Chardonnays are bright, complex, and layered. Intensive farming and low yields are the foundations of our Carneros Chardonnay offering. The two blocks farmed for this wine are on a bench with classic Haire Clay Loam soils, and on a ridge at 200-foot elevation, part of an uplifted riverbed that allows good drainage in the traditional clay-based soils of the region.
Wine Details
Oak: 100% French oak, 18% new
Time in oak: 15 months
Alcohol: 14.4%
TA: 5.8 g/L
pH: 3.72
Yeast: Native
Cases produced: 187
No fining or filtration