Recently, I was able to try two wines from producer Adler Fels. I was excited because the wines contain grapes from Santa Rita Hills (Pinot Noir) and Russian River Valley (both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay) as well as Monterey County (Chardonnay). It is always interesting to taste wines from multiple appellations because there are often unique tasting profiles in comparison to wines from single appellations or AVAs.
Adler Fels Chardonnay, 2015 (50% Russian River Valley, 50% Monterey County)
The Chardonnay has an intriguingly different taste than many other Russian River chardonnays and has lovely hints of honey, vanilla or almond, and pineapple. The wine is full bodied but at the same time retains a very light and fruity taste, which is distinct from more oaky or buttery chardonnays. The Adler Fels Chardonnay is a wine I’d most certainly drink in the spring, summer, or early fall months, but not my choice for winter months when I prefer a more buttery or oakier chardonnay. It has a pleasant acidity and would be great with cheeses, fish, and salumi.
Adler Fels Pinot Noir, 2014 (76% Santa Rita Hills, 24% Russian River Valley)
The Pinot Noir also has a very interesting palate with hints of olives and cherry. It also has a very earthy composure with a hint of pepper toward the finish. It has some minerality, but it is an enjoyable wine that I would gladly drink year round with a lot of different meals. A very round wine with good complexity but still lively and smooth, the Pinot Noir would be great paired with prime rib, Waldorf salad, salmon, and lighter meats.
From the Company Adler Fels
From its perch high on a crest in the Maycamas Mountains, Adler Fels (German for “Eagle Rock”) has the perfect view of California’s most famous vineyards: from Sonoma to Napa and beyond. From this vantage point, our winemakers are ideally positioned to select the very best vineyards from which to craft their wines. For thirty-five years, we have made award-winning wines through a simple focus: excellent sourcing and world-class winemaking teams that allows the qualities of the grapes to shine through to the glass.
Today the vision lives on―searching out the best vineyards in the best regions, and making the grapes into remarkable wines: top quality wines from interesting grapes grown by interesting people in interesting places. Our renowned winemakers Aaron Bader and Linda Trotta continue that tradition of making superlative wines from top grape grwoers who have worked with the winery for as many as three generations.