Sequoia Grove Chardonnay
From the Sequoia Grove Winery, this review is of Sequoia Grove Chardonnay 2012 from Napa Valley. This wine is produced and bottled in Rutherford, California.
Sequoia Grove is primarily run by Director of Winemaking Michael Trujillo and Winemaker Molly Hill. Per their website, they “share the same passion for excellence and have forged great relationships to acquire the best Napa Valley fruit available.”
For their Sequoia Grove Chardonnay, they source grapes primarily from the cool-climate region of Carneros. They don’t allow the wine to undergo secondary malolactic fermentation. They age the wine in 30% new French barrels to impart a sense of maturity without overbearing the wine with oak.
Alcohol content of Sequoia Grove Chardonnay is 14.1% by volume, according to the bottle.
Sequoia Grove Chardonnay Review
For this review I was again assisted by my good friend Miss Jonelle. She’s not normally a white wine drinker, so I knew it would be interesting to hear her honest opinion of this wine.
This wine was received as a sample for review purposes and had just been released by the Sequoia Grove Winery.
In appearance the wine was light golden in color. Similar to white grape juice and typical in color for a Chardonnay. Some bubbles were noted in the glass until the wine was swirled.
Legs were present. We called them “slow falling, stubby and thick.”
On the nose, Sequoia Grove Chardonnay has a rich aroma. Not noticed initially, it seemed to develop over time. We agreed the aroma was enjoyable and not overly fruity. Very little alcohol was noticed. I characterized the aroma as having notes of apple and citrus.
The wine’s taste was tart and not overly sweet. Also, it wasn’t dry but perhaps a bit fruity. We both noticed a green apple hint in the flavor.
Light tannins were noticed initially on the tip of the tongue and inside upper lip. I felt there was a slight bitterness, but not unpleasant.
Finish of the wine was medium to long and enjoyable.
Overall we both really liked this wine. It wasn’t overly oaky. Miss Jonelle was a bit surprised at how much she liked it (not being a white wine enthusiast). We enjoyed the complexity and its slight tartness. I liked the hints of green apple in the aroma and taste, especially.
Price of Sequoia Grove Chardonnay is about $20 to $25, depending on the vintage.
The Sequoia Grove Winery suggests pairing this wine with an elegant seafood or cream based dish and I would agree. Its tartness would cut through and balance out a dish like that. Recommend!
