" We don't sell the wine without touching the vine "
Sea Sun Chardonnay 2018
No longer available.
| Country: | United States |
| Regions: | California California (Sonoma County) |
| Winery: | Caymus |
| Grape Type: | Chardonnay |
| Organic: | Yes |
| Vintage: | 2018 |
| Bottle Size: | 750 ml |
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Flowers Camp Meeting Ridge Chardonnay is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
With mild temperatures leading to a long growing season and a surprise-free harvest, the 2018 vintage can only be described as idyllic. Alternating spells of cool and warm weather during bloom led to varying berry sizes, perfect for developing complexity in Pinot Noir & Chardonnay. Morning fog, afternoon sunshine and a lack of heat spikes throughout the summer allowed for a long ripening period that developed fruit with excellent natural acidity and beautiful flavors.
Mouth-filling citrus, orange blossom and lemon flavors highlight the 2018 season with a textural mineral note gliding across the finish. This is a year marked by brilliant natural acidity, so don’t be afraid of laying some 2018 Chardonnay down for the future.
With age comes maturity and beauty. Our Camp Meeting Ridge Estate vineyards are nearly 30 years old and among the longest standing in the area. Their robust root systems give them a depth and resilience that allow the vines to flourish in raw conditions. They express the unique traits of the setting where they grow. In 2018, our vineyards gave us everything we could have hoped for, and we did our best not to get in the way. The Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from this vintage are profoundly complex wines that convey the nuances of a specific time and place.
Sourced entirely from our organic and biodynamically farmed Camp Meeting Ridge Vineyard. Planted in 1991, these “older” vines are producing our most exciting and interesting Chardonnays to date. Given the extremes of this site, each small block ripens at its own pace. Picked by hand in the foggy frigidness of the early morning, fruit integrity and temperature were ensured for a whole cluster pressing by sunrise.
Review:
Coming from the Fort Ross-Seaview appellation, the 2018 Chardonnay Camp Meeting Ridge is more mineral-laced, with a touch of marine-like iodine in its orchard and citrus fruits. Nicely textured and medium to full-bodied, with bright acidity, it's going to benefit from a year (or two) in bottle and should keep for a solid 7-8 years or more.
-Jeb Dunnuck 94+ Points
Sunset Hills Shenandoah Springs Chardonnay is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
This is our first release of a clone-specific wine for Sunset Hills. The goal is to show you a specific terroir, one that year after year delivers excellent fruit quality. I chose clone 96 for its complexity both in ripening and barrel aging. During ripening, the fruit has notes of pineapple and pear with great acidity. I saw this wine as a chance to highlight not only the vineyard, but how detailed we can get in growing and making wine.
100% Chardonnay:
75% Clone 96
20% Clone 76
5% Clone 17
Notes of light honeysuckle, Asian pear, raw almond, and lemon custard. Medium body and medium acid.
Argot Chardonnay Sonoma County is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
Pouring a green-tinted gold, our Sonoma County Chardonnay is a beautiful wine from word go. Radiating from within, a blast of apple/pear fruit informs this wine both aromatically, and on the palate. As flavors unfurl, a progression of orange blossom, pineapple, white peach, and hazlenut are followed by a finish dominated by ginger, baked apple, with a trailing kiss of mint’s freshness. A stunning wine — wholly informed by the perfection of 2018’s growing season — defined by its dichotomy of massively intense flavors, and superb acidity and freshness.
Raised by minimalistic methods, often associated with the classic Chardonnay winemaking techniques of Meursault. With a focus on the coolest Chardonnay region in Sonoma County, 2018’s long, even growing season favored our vineyards’ moderate climate, old vines and deep volcanic soils. These grapes were allowed an extended ripening period on the vine, resulting in perfect balance and concentrated flavors.
Patz & Hall Hyde Vineyard Chardonnay is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
The 2018 vintage is elegant, yet powerful and displays classic Hyde Vineyard traits of delicate white flowers, tangerine zest, and lemon cream. On the palate the wine is citrus-driven with orange and lemon flavors along with hints of toasted almond and vanilla. The wine has great acidity that leaves a white chalk/mineral note on the very long finish.
Review:
Rich and contoured, this is filled with concentrated Fuji apple, pear tart and quince paste flavors that are well-structured and backed by powerful acidity. Shows intense mineral and sea salt notes on the long finish. Drink now through 2025. 1,400 cases made.
-Wine Spectator 93 Points
Evening Land Seven Springs Vineyard Summum Chardonnay is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
The Estate Chardonnay comes from a unique block of young vines at the southern edge of Seven Springs. With vines running right up to a rich forest of Douglas fir, these Burgundian clones of Chardonnay face northwest with a view across the entire vineyard. The Seven Springs Chardonnay underwent a very gentle whole cluster press before being racked to French oak barrels for fermentation. The wine remained in barrel, roughly 30% of which was new, for 12 months before being racked to tank. The wine completed élevage in tank for another 6 months before bottling.
Review:
Brilliant straw-yellow. Fresh and energetic on the incisive nose, displaying fresh pear, nectarine and Meyer lemon scents accompanied by suave floral, saffron and chalky mineral flourishes. Silky and open-knit, offering densely packed yet shockingly lively citrus and orchard fruit, honeysuckle, oyster shell and saffron flavors that show superb tension and back-end lift. Finely delineated and lithe in character, finishing extremely long and seamless, with vibrant mineral cut and lingering floral and orchard fruit notes.
-Vinous 95 Points
Kershaw Chardonnay Deconstructed Lake District Bokkeveld Shale CY95 is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
The inspiration for this Chardonnay stems from my belief that the Elgin region has both a signature grape as well as particular terroirs within its demarcated boundary that reflect regional credentials. This Chardonnay was selected from a sub-region of Elgin from a specific vineyard and an individual clone.
Tasting Notes: Sourced from a parcel in the Western part of Elgin the 95 clone is known for its excellent quality creating wines that are aromatic, fuller bodied and rich yet tightly structured, well–balanced with length of flavor, managing to show restraint and mouth-watering passivity with a great line through the palate and fruit veering towards white peach flesh and nectarine. On Bokkeveld Shales it brings amplified perfume on the nose and persistence and elegance to the palate.
Winemaking:
Grapes were hand-picked in the early autumnal mornings, placed into small lug baskets and tipped directly into a press before being gently whole-bunch pressed up to a maximum of 0.6 bar or until a low juice recovery of 580 liters per ton was obtained. The juice gravity-flowed directly to barrel (no pumps were used at all) without settling. The unclarified juice had no enzymes or yeast added to it and therefore underwent spontaneous fermentation until dry, with malolactic discouraged. The wine rested in barrel for 4 months prior to judicious sulfuring and a further 7 months’ maturation in barrel before racking and bottling.
Review:
"The 2018 Kershaw Deconstructed Lake District Bokkeveld Shale CY95 is sharper and more mineral-driven than the CY96, presenting scents of red apple, citrus peel, crushed stone and melon. The oak is beautifully integrated. The palate is well balanced and precise, slightly creamy in texture on the entry and revealing gorgeous orange zest and black currant leaf notes on the finish. A cerebral and compelling Chardonnay from Kershaw.- Neal Martin"
- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (April 2021), 94 pts
Product Description
Golden-hued with a shimmering lightness, this wine features fresh scents of lemon zest and the nectar of peaches and apricots. A hint of brioche adds additional interest to the nose, along with a mineral character that evokes the clean, earthy aroma of wet rock. Entry on the palate is broad, filling the mouth with lemon/lime and flavors of nectar echoing the nose. Integrated wood mingles with the slight saltiness of an ocean breeze. This wine’s roundness is balanced by its lively acidity, which lingers on the invigorating finish.
Winery: Caymus
In 1971 Charles F. (Charlie) Wagner and his wife Lorna Belle Glos Wagner asked their son Charles J. (Chuck) Wagner, who had just graduated from high school, if he would be interested in joining them in starting up a winery. If Chuck declined the offer, Charlie and Lorna were planning to sell out of their ranch in Napa Valley and move to Australia. Chuck accepted his parents’ offer to launch the winery, Caymus Vineyards.
The Wagners produced their first vintage in 1972, consisting of 240 cases of Cabernet Sauvignon. Since then, Caymus has focused their efforts in the production of quality Cabernet Sauvignon. Today’s production is 65,000 cases.
Caymus Vineyards remains 100% family-owned by the Wagners. Charlie, Lorna Belle, and Chuck worked together as a remarkable team for over 30 years building Caymus Cabernet. Today, Chuck, his two sons, Charlie and Joe, and one daughter, Jenny, have joined the family team. Farming grapes remain the priority with the family farming about 350 acres of choice Napa Valley land.
The Wagners took the name Caymus from the Mexican land grant known as Rancho Caymus, given to George Yount in 1836, which encompassed what eventually became the town of Rutherford and much of the surrounding area.
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Roland Champion Champagne Le Cul du Singe Brut Nature is made from 100% Pinot Meunier.
The special Story about the name "Cul du Singe" (literally "Monkey's butt"):
"In the 70's, my Grandfather Roland and my Father François wanted to buy new lands to plant vines, but nothing was available at that time in Chouilly. They found some parcels in the Marne Valley, in the village of Verneuil. "Le cul du singe" was one of them.
One day, while my father and grandfather were both working in the plot to clean it up, an old man from the village came and watched them. Roland and François asked him why this parcel had this name. The old man remained silent for a long time, turned his beret on his head several times and said to them: Have you ever seen anything grow on a monkey’s ass? and he left without saying more.
For him, Roland and François were two strangers completely mad who wanted to grow a vineyard on this wild land!" - Carole CHAMPION
The Champagne Cul du Singe shows a brilliant gold color with coppery reflections - a hallmark of black grape varieties. In the glass, a fine effervescence nourishes a delicate and persistent foam cord. A fruity and jovial nose displays floral aromas and delicate red fruits. The palate is luscious, tonic and juicy with an energetic sap. A finish with bitter notes and grapefruit peel.
Mascot is a small-production label founded by Will Harlan in Napa Valley. The wines under this label are made from the younger vines of Harlan Estate, BOND, and Promontory, but The Mascot bottles share an exclusive preview at the development of their estates. Founded as an initial experiment to see what the young vines were capable of producing, the wines were initially only shared with close friends and family. By 2008, Will officially released the first vintage to the public since production had increased significantly. They create just one wine made from Cabernet Sauvignon, and the bottle is aged for five years before release. Assembled into a single, youthful expression, this wine shares a glimpse into the evolution and pedigree of its parent estates.
Tasting Notes:
Following a vintage full of changing conditions and demanding decision points, the steady and pleasant progress of the 2018 vintage left our team, at times, in limbo. Contradictory as it may seem, the dramas that sometimes punctuate the definitive months for the growing season help to frame the winegrowing team’s course of action; yet the tranquil succession of weeks that emerged between spring and fall in 2018 left almost entirely open the question of when to harvest. Healthy rainfall in March and April preceded a benevolent summer, whose mildness was interrupted only briefly by a few warming periods. The fruit of the young vines maintained a measured balance that gave the team little indication that harvest was imminent. Fog and temperate days followed in September, when—relying more on instinct than empirical cues—we began to pick. This judgment—as well as the gentle nature of the season—is confirmed in the subtle, ethereal power of the vintage, which reveals itself first in the deep, brooding aromas of dark fruit, black tea, and herbal notes. The texture expands around a lifted structure, as powdery tannins gently resolve. This diffused, enigmatic softness is anchored on the mid-palate by a gratifying density, which prepares the senses for a flourish of hidden energy and vivid detail that illuminates the finish.
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