"Smooth and fresh with juicy pear and citrus fruit; toasty oak and silky texture; long and balanced" Anthony Dias Blue, Blue Reviews EXTRA!, Feb-Mar 2017

"This is a straightforward, lush and alluringly tart white that offers an oaky backbone of vanilla wrapped in fresh layers of fig, apple and green olive flavor" Virginie Boone, Wine Enthusiast, May 2017

"Sliced apple and stone aromas with hints of white peach follow through to a full body, cooked apple and cement character. Flavorful. Napa character" James Suckling, March 2017

Tantalizing ripe Asian pear, red apple fruit and crème brulée mingle beautifully with toasted almonds and hazelnuts, a touch of lemon rind, and ginger spice, which all flow seamlessly across the palate in this classic Napa Valley Chardonnay.

This classic Chardonnay brings together the best Napa Valley appellations for Chardonnay while adding a touch of fruit from other renowned regions. Two cooler Napa Valley areas dominate the blend, including the breezy, bay-influenced Carneros region and morning-fogged Oak Knoll District. These areas allow the grapes to ripen at a gradual, flavor-building pace while retaining refreshing, natural acidity. A small amount of fruit from our Wappo Hill vineyard in the Stag’s Leap District adds just the right touch of opulence to the blend, while complexity builds from other top Chardonnay sites.

2014 started with worrisome, drought-like conditions, and many feared a parched, dry spring as in 2013. Refreshingly, spring rains came in February and into March providing water for the soils and filling reservoirs. The wine growing season will most be remembered for the August 24th Napa earthquake that occurred just as harvest was commencing in the Napa Valley. The vines were not affected and harvest finished early, bringing in beautiful, healthy fruit. The grapes were harvested between August 22nd and September 24th.

The grapes were harvested in the cool of the morning and gently pressed as whole clusters to conserve the vibrant, fruity flavors. Eighty-five percent (85%) of the juice was fermented in French oak barrels (34% new) and the balance was cold fermented in stainless-steel tanks to retain brightness and purity of fruit. Partial malolactic fermentation balanced the lively acidity and added complexity. Each barrel lot was aged on the yeast lees (sûr lie) and was hand-stirred regularly (bâtonnage) throughout nine months of aging, for seamless integration of flavors and a rich, creamy finish. The wine was bottled in September of 2015.