Deep gold-yellow color; yellow apple, white peach, lemon, pear, oak, vanilla, honeysuckle, hint of honey, caramel, baking spice on the nose and palate.
Dry; low tannins; good acidity. Medium body. Creamy, lush mouthfeel. Good integration and complexity. Subtle, classic Sonoma chard, completely avoids blousy, buttery, oaky chard stereotype. Grapes sourced from two premium vineyards: Flocchini Vineyard in the Petaluma Gap AVA and Kiser Vineyard in the Western Sonoma Carneros AVA. Whole cluster pressed, barrel-fermented with native yeast. Aged 14 months in French oak, 35% new. Greg Stach is the winemaker. 14.3% ABV
Landmark Vineyards was founded in 1974 in Windsor, California, by a group that included Damaris Deere Ford, great-great-granddaughter of John Deere, inventor of the steel plow. By 1989, Damaris was the sole owner of Landmark. She moved the vineyard to its present site in the Sonoma Valley. In 1991, Landmark began producing chardonnay exclusively and introduced its flagship wine—Overlook Chardonnay. This effort honors her.
To establish its position as a quality maker in the beginning, Landmark brought in world-renowned enologist Helen Turley in 1993. She helped build Landmark’s signature style: whole cluster fermentation, native yeasts, aging in French oak. Today, Greg Stach is the winemaker. The website notes: “Stach’s winemaking approach combines traditional techniques with a ‘less is more’ philosophy. Believing that great wine begins in the vineyard, he intervenes only to ensure consistency and quality, relying more on the fruit’s intense flavors and distinct vineyard characteristics.”
Landmark Vineyards Damaris Reserve Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast 2022 is classic cool-climate California chardonnay made in minimal-intervention, discrete oak Burgundian style. The wine showcases Petaluma Gap and Carneros fruit. Lush mouthfeel, rich and delicious. Served as a featured wine at White House events by three presidents. $50
Pairing—Seafood; seared sea scallops in beurre blanc sauce, lobster grilled with butter sauce, crab cakes and Dungeness crab, shrimp and prawns; pan-seared or roasted halibut, cod, salmon; cooked oysters. Roast chicken with herb butter or cream sauces; turkey; pork tenderloin with fruit-based sauces; veal in cream sauces. Risotto with mushrooms or butternut squash, pasta with Alfredo sauces, linguini vongole, mac and cheese with premium cheese. Cheese—brie, camembert, triple-cream cheese, fresh goat cheese; aged cheddar (six-plus months), gouda, manchego, comté.
