2008 Landmark Overlook Chardonnay

Sonoma, California

Landmark Overlook Chardonnay is a special white wine gem from Sonoma and Santa Barbara Counties of California that brings back fond memories of many pleasurable visits to the Sonoma winery. Its setting is splendid, its wines seducing and its bocce court relaxing after a long day of wine tasting in Sonoma! Damaris Deere Ford, great-great-granddaughter of John Deere, relocated Landmark Vineyards from Windsor to a spectacular piece of land at the base of Sugarloaf Mountain in the Sonoma Valley. Damaris believed that Landmark could be a small jewel of a winery and built a Spanish mission style winery equipped with state-of-the-art winemaking equipment. Damaris convinced her son, Michael Deere Colhoun, and his wife Mary to move from the east coast and join her as partners in the winery. In 1993, they hired world-renowned consulting enologist Helen Turley to work with winemaker Eric Stern. This collaboration has led to some excellent winemaking. A perennial favorite with Robert Parker, this 2008 vintage received an 89-point score, along with 88-point ratings from both Tanzer and Wine Spectator.

Comprised of 22 separate vineyards and 36 individual lots, the 2008 Landmark Overlook is made up of some of the finest Chardonnay vineyards in California including Charlie Heintz’s vineyard in the Sonoma Coast and The Sangiacomo family’s Green Acres Hill Vineyard in Carneros. All the wines in the Overlook bottling are barrel fermented using indigenous yeasts and undergo full malolactic fermentation. The wine is aged sur lie for 13 months in Burgundian barrels and racked to tanks for blending. The wine exhibits baked pear and apple notes with lemon custard and sandalwood aromas with a hint of anise. In the mouth the wine adds orange blossom and toasted almond notes. The rich texture is complemented by crisp acidity, leaving a long, balanced finish.

Enjoy Landmark Overlook Chardonnay as a very food-friendly wine. Its acidity will pair well with seafoods and Dungeness crab and complement pastas with cream sauces as well as roast chicken and pork roast with fruit.