2007 Avant-Garde Chardonnay

The wine displays wonderful aromas of peach, pear, melon, with a hint of brown sugar and vanilla cream. On the palate it is quite rich and luscious, yet almost lacy in its elegance, without a trace of heaviness. While this wine was aged in French oak barrels, the toasty note they impart remains just a background hint.

The grapes for the 2007 came from our newest vineyard, adjacent to the landmark Stornetta Dairy on the Carneros Highway.

Domaine Carneros grows many acres of Chardonnay for sparkling wine, and over the years many friends have asked us why we don’t make a still Chardonnay. We finally replied in 2004 with our first Chardonnay, which we offered as an experiment only to our wine club and in the tasting room. That wine apparently struck a chord, because the requests have only increased. So in 2007 the Chardonnay returns, in what turns out to be a glorious year for Carneros Chardonnay. If you can resist drinking it now, it should age beautifully for five or more years.