Mill Creek Vineyards and Winery Chardonnay 2005

Rating: 92/100 - As reviewed by The Wine Messenger An easy-drinking California Chardonnay with fresh fruit flavors balanced with a touch of oak.
Dry Creek Valley Chardonnays tend to be more subtle and food friendly than other examples of California Chardonnay. Mill Creek’s estate Chard is a good example, balancing fresh fruit and oak flavors without becoming overpowering. The grapes are harvested before dawn so that they are still cold when crushed and pressed. A portion of the juice is barrel fermented and malolactic fermentation is strictly controlled to maintain the fresh apple flavors and mineral notes typical of Chardonnay. read more...Although this wine makes a very good aperitif, it is an even better accompaniment to food. It was a silver medalist at the Sonoma County fair.
A bright golden colored wine with green apple, lemon, cream and toasted almond aromas. On the palate citrus, melon and oak flavors are delicately melded in this medium-bodied wine leading to a refreshingly round and clean finish. Drink now to 2009 as an aperitif or with grilled chicken, Caesar salad, white fish, crab cakes, roasted poultry or lobster.
Crab Cakes, Grilled Chicken, Lobster, Roast Chicken, Salads, White Fish
MILL CREEK is one of the older family owned and operated wineries in Sonoma County. The Kreck family has lived and farmed in the Dry Creek Valley area since 1948 and planted vines in their old prune orchard in the 1960s. Today, the 2nd and 3rd generations of Krecks operate the limited-production winery on their 55-acre ranch near the Russian River. They have restored the original mill and waterwheel and today it serves as their tasting room.

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An easy-drinking California Chardonnay with fresh fruit flavors balanced with a touch of oak.

February 2009

Flavors of apple and honeydew melon predominate, mixed with subtle accents from the small oak barrels.

An easy-drinking California Chardonnay with fresh fruit flavors balanced with a touch of oak. Dry Creek Valley Chardonnays tend to be more subtle and food friendly than other examples of California Chardonnay. Mill Creek's estate Chard is a good example, balancing fresh fruit and oak flavors without becoming overpowering. The grapes are harvested before dawn so that they are still cold when crushed and pressed. A portion of the juice is barrel fermented and malolactic fermentation is strictly controlled to maintain the fresh apple flavors and mineral notes typical of Chardonnay. read more...Although this wine makes a very good aperitif, it is an even better accompaniment to food. It was a silver medalist at the Sonoma County fair. A bright golden colored wine with green apple, lemon, cream and toasted almond aromas. On the palate citrus, melon and oak flavors are delicately melded in this medium-bodied wine leading to a refreshingly round and clean finish. Drink now to 2009 as an aperitif or with grilled chicken, Caesar salad, white fish, crab cakes, roasted poultry or lobster.Pair With: Crab Cakes, Grilled Chicken, Lobster, Roast Chicken, Salads, White Fish    (hide)

October 2008

Chardonnays from Dry Creek Valley tend to stay within a more subtle, restrained range of styles than many of their more opulent and showy counterparts from outside of Sonoma, and across the state. They often remind me of Clarksburg or Dunnigan Hills Chardonnays (or perhaps it is the other way around). This is quite a feat for growers and winemakers given the tremendous natural potential for super-ripe fruit that brings us some of the best Zins in the country. Owned and fully operated by the large Kreck family, this winery is built on a 55 acre ranch, though the family also owns 8 acres in Alexander read more...Valley. This release, a lovely, clean, balanced, and food-friendly Chardonnay, is bright, yellow gold, and viscous. On the nose it has notes of butter, cream, lemon, vanilla, and toasted almonds. It is medium-bodied, round, and clean on the palate with a refreshing, lemony lift and oaky notes on the finish. This would be delicious with Crab cakes, a lobster with a meyer lemon, fennel and butter sauce, beer-battered Halibut, or lemon roast chicken with jasmine rice sprinkled with slivered, toasted almonds.    (hide)

October 2008

Chardonnays from Dry Creek Valley tend to stay within a more subtle, restrained range of styles than many of their more opulent and showy counterparts from outside of Sonoma, and across the state. They often remind me of Clarksburg or Dunnigan Hills Chardonnays (or perhaps it is the other way around). This is quite a feat for growers and winemakers given the tremendous natural potential for super-ripe fruit that brings us some of the best Zins in the country. Owned and fully operated by the large Kreck family, this winery is built on a 55 acre ranch, though the family also owns 8 acres in Alexander read more...Valley. This release, a lovely, clean, balanced, and food-friendly Chardonnay, is bright, yellow gold, and viscous. On the nose it has notes of butter, cream, lemon, vanilla, and toasted almonds. It is medium-bodied, round, and clean on the palate with a refreshing, lemony lift and oaky notes on the finish. This would be delicious with Crab cakes, a lobster with a meyer lemon, fennel and butter sauce, beer-battered Halibut, or lemon roast chicken with jasmine rice sprinkled with slivered, toasted almonds.    (hide)