About the Wine

The 2014 Napa Valley Chardonnay is a splendid testimonial to the vintage’s curious and exceptional growing season. While Mother Nature’s late August 6.0 rocker provided a jarring pre-harvest wake-up call, fruit from our Bald Mountain vineyard block came through …neither shaken nor stirred. Golden-straw in hue, the wine’s nose invites thoughtful pause and pondering. To entice these aromas, mindful swirling will elicit notes of pear and butterscotch. With a delicate acid backbone that lends a delightful freshness, the wine displays hints of lemon custard accented by pineapple, apricot, and washed stone. Barrel-fermented and aged 17 months in 52% new French oak, the wine’s precocious plushness rounds to a completeness and complexity through to its finish.

Bald Mountain, a neighbor of Mount Veeder, is situated in the Mayacamas Mountains on the western border of the Napa Valley. The south-facing vineyard sits at nearly 1600 feet above sea level, and offers stunning views of both the Sonoma and Napa Valleys, as well as of Marin’s Mt. Tamalpais to the south. Cool sunshine is abundant throughout the growing season, allowing the grapes to ripen slowly while varietal character evolves completely.