92pts Wine Enthusiast

This is a big, plushly textured Chardonnay with plenty of buttered popcorn, vanilla and ripe pear aromas on the nose. The palate brings flavors of juicy apple, toasted coconut, sweet cinnamon and brioche with a leesy, salty character on the long finish.

91pts Jeb Dunnuck

Honeyed orange fruits, nutmeg, baking spices, and some tropical flower notes all emerge from the 2022 Chardonnay Sun Chase Vineyard, a medium to full-bodied, opulent, textured Sonoma Chardonnay that has good overall balance, lots of upfront fruit, and outstanding length. It's a ripe, pleasure-bent effort to drink over the coming 2-4 years.

Vineyard Notes:

Sun Chase Vineyard is among the most highly sought-after vineyards in the Petaluma Gap AVA. Owned and farmed by the Guarachi Family, its location 1400 feet above the valley floor places it just above the persistent fog line and allows perpetual sunshine during the day while cool winds from the bay in the evenings permit the grapes to maintain optimal acidity.

We have barrel-fermented this chardonnay for 14 months in a mix of new and once used French oak. Natural malolactic fermentation is completed in about half of the barrels, high intensity malic acid is maintained in the other barrels. The resulting wine exhibits a light creaminess, exotic citrus and tropical fruit notes and a mildly acidic finish.