Light straw yellow color; honeysuckle, apple blossom, floral nose (thus the name); yellow apple, white peach, apricot, pineapple on the palate.
Good balance of acidity (3.64 pH), bright flavors, and off-dry residual sugar. This not a sweet chardonnay; it is not over-oaked or buttery; instead, it is clean and elegantly full in the mouth with refreshing overall impression and bit of lemon tang on the finish. The chardonnay grapes came from one specific block in Edna Valley. Wine fermented 16 days in neutral French oak, then aged on the lees for seven months in neutral French oak.
Although wine production in the region dates back to Gold Rush days, the current operation’s roots trace to vineyard developer Jack Niven in the 1970s, who planted the vines from which many of the grapes in this effort come. The winery aims to offer a true expression of California Central Coast terroir; Edna Valley consistently succeeds in this effort. $27
Second photo: Edna Valley Vineyard vineyard
