Wine Of The Week: 2007 Souverain Alexander Valley chardonnay

By SCOTT CHERRY World Scene Writer - 11/5/2009


Price: $18

Flavor profile: This rich, full-bodied chardonnay shows notes of ripe pear, apple, honeysuckle and citrus with underlying notes of butterscotch, toasty oak and vanilla. It fully coats the palate and has a long, lingering finish. It received 90 points from Wine Spectator.

Food pairings: This may be as good as it gets with fall items such as butternut squash soup, savory dressings and all types of pumpkin-flavored dishes. It's also an inspired pairing with homemade macaroni-and-cheese.

About the winery: Leland "Lee" Stewart started Souverain in Napa Valley in 1944, but the winery was moved to Alexander Valley in northern Sonoma County when Stewart sold the operation to a limited partnership of growers in 1981. Wine giant Beringer bought the winery in 1986 and added Chateau to the brand name Souverain. In 1992, Ed Killian was hired as associate winemaker and in 1996 he was promoted to head winemaker, a position he still holds today. In addition to chardonnay, Souverain also is known for its varietally correct and well-crafted cabernet sauvignon, merlot and sauvignon blanc wines.

About the winemaker: Ed Killian received a bachelor's degree in biology from University of Redlands and a master's in enology at Cal-Davis. He worked as a research enologist for Guild Wineries before joining Lambert Bridge Winery in Dry Creek Valley in 1981. He was hired by Souverain in 1992.





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