Decoy Napa Valley Chardonnay 2023 (California)

Description

Oak, Pineapple, Vanilla

This Chardonnay is a refreshing retreat, evoking a summer stroll through orchards in bloom with aromas of sweet mandarin and white peach. Each sip brings juicy and vibrant tropical fruit flavors with just a hint of oak from its time spent in barrel. 

1985 saw the first ‘Decoy’ wine launched – a second-label red blend made at Duckhorn Vineyards. This exceptional wine quickly established a loyal following for its great quality, remarkable price, and its distinctive style, which expressed its full charm and complexity in its youth and for Decoy to ultimately in 2008 set itself up as a separate Duckhorn brand as opposed to just being their ‘second-label’. They also added a Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, as well as a Rosé and Brut Cuvée.   Since branching out successfully from their 1600 first case vintages, the quality at Duckhorn has not decreased nor become overly commercialised, “When wine companies grow, there is often an assumption that quality will suffer,” says winemaking vice president and winemaker, Renée Ary, when talking with Haute Living San Francisco. “I think we have disproved that idea. For us, growth has meant new state-of-the-art facilities and equipment, the addition of amazing estate vineyards like Three Palms and the resources to continue to make both widely-distributed and small-production winery-only wines using the kind of hands-on, small-lot techniques that are essential to achieving excellence.”    Duckhorn – and by extension, Decoy’s – philosophy is very people-centred this way, in that they can adopt innovative and modern aids but they remain at their core, very connected to the hands that work to shape their wines. One of these people, Dana Epperson, was mentored by Mark Beringer, a former Duckhorn winemaker. Talking again to HLSF, she explained, “In a way, I studied the Duckhorn style before I ever joined The Duckhorn Portfolio. Mark taught me to have a light touch as a winemaker and to create classic, balanced wines.”