Paul Hobbs Edward James Chardonnay 2018
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
This vintage from the estate named after my great-grandfather showcases a pearlescent yellow in the glass with alluring aromas of orange blossom, green apple, and lime peel. Revealing a crisp texture, the palate bursts with apricot, white peach, almond shavings, and spice-laden ginger. Backed by a crunchy acidity and a flint stone minerality, the finish is framed by an invigorating tension that adds length and focus.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
From a site in the Russian River and aged 15 months in 54% new French oak, the 2018 Chardonnay Edward James Estate offers a classic California bouquet of ripe peach, guava, crushed citrus, toasted brioche, and white flowers. The bouquet is beautiful and shows remarkable purity. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it has integrated, racy acidity, building richness, and this awesome, salty finish that keeps you coming back to the glass. It's up with the crème de la creme in the vintage and is an awesome Chardonnay!
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James Suckling
This is a solid, dense white with cooked-apple, vanilla and stone character. Very serious and rich. Cooked apples and pineapple with cookie and praline undertones. Full and flavorful. Pretty balance.
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Connoisseurs' Guide
Extraordinarily deep fruit is joined with elements of crème brûlée, fresh-baked brioche and scattered notes of roasted nuts in the expansive, marvelously layered aromas of this rich, positively show-stopping Chardonnay, and the wine does not disappoint on the palate as it successfully goes for it all. While very full and even a touch viscous to start, it displays the kind of stamina, structure and sheer fruity depth to encourage at least a few years of additional cellaring. As good as its samevintage cellarmates may be – and, make no mistake, they are all very, very good – we would argue that this one shows off the Hobbs hand at its finest, and it earns our vote as the best of a deeply satisfying bunch.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Chardonnay Edward James Estate is shy to begin, with time opening up peachy fruit with notes of pastry, honey and hazelnut. The medium-bodied palate is satiny and expansive with bright lift and mineral character enlivening the long finish.
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Wine Spectator
Plush, with rich spiciness to the ripe white and tropical fruit flavors, backed by lively acidity. The creamy finish is loaded with almond pastry notes and buttery accents. Drink now through 2023.
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One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
A standout region for its decidedly Californian take on Burgundian varieties, the Russian River Valley is named for the eponymous river that flows through it. While there are warm pockets of the AVA, it is mostly a cool-climate growing region thanks to breezes and fog from the nearby Pacific Ocean.
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir reign supreme in Russian River, with the best examples demonstrating a unique combination of richness and restraint. The cool weather makes Russian River an ideal AVA for sparkling wine production, utilizing the aforementioned varieties. Zinfandel also performs exceptionally well here. Within the Russian River Valley lie the smaller appellations of Chalk Hill and Green Valley. The former, farther from the ocean, is relatively warm, with a focus on red and white Bordeaux varieties. The latter is the coolest, foggiest parcel of the Russian River Valley and is responsible for outstanding Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.