Cuvaison 2018 Chardonnay, Kite Tail

For those, like me, who occasionally relish in a bold buttery fully malolactic fermentation, no holds barred and unapologetic Chardonnay - this is your number. With stunning notes of honeysuckle, butterscotch, white peach, apricot, lemon zest, lime kefir, sweet resin, and wild grasses, this offers everything you want in a opulent Chardonnay. And frankly unapologetic is the correct word. The acidity and minerality keep it in check and its cooler growing area on the estate makes certain it has complexity. It is so well balanced with all its diverse elements that it is a pleasure to drink and a wine that actually could work with a multitude of diverse foods. And isn’t that what we ask for in a wine to begin with?

ORIGIN: Napa Valley, Los Carneros
ALCOHOL: 14.1%
PRICE: $50/750 ml
SCORE: 93 POINTS

ABC (Anyone Buying Chard?) - The Character Assassination of Chardonnay

Chardonnay seems like a one-trick pony with a bad leg. And in wine, as in life, reality is irrelevant and perception is power. Enter Chardonnay, the grape everyone loves to hate. In the early 2000s the “Anything But Chardonnay” movement (albeit lackluster and myopic from the start) promoted exactly...

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Sixty White Wines Recommendations for Autumn

Autumn is here and for most of us, that means shifting from the lighter summer rosés, whites and BBQ Reds into something that matches with heartier food or sitting by the fire on a chilly fall evening. At every party though there is someone who says they only drink white wine. Sometimes he or she means sweet, but often dry wines work too. Just like red wines, however, there are white wines that work great for the autumn season too.

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Best Napa Chardonnay (For the Money)

IntoWine.com asked a panel of wine experts for their recommendation for the best Napa Chardonnay (for the money): California Chardonnay has entered a new golden era, and there are terrific, cooler climate examples available from all over the State. These great new Chards tend to be balanced, with minerality and strong acidity, as well as less obtrusive new oak than was the trademark of California Chardonnay even five years ago. Napa does not have a particularly cool climate, so the wines from this region tend to have more ripe, tropical fruit characteristics, and more richness, as well as more of a creamy mouth feel, thanks in large part to the new oak typically used for fermentation and aging. Nonetheless, for those who like the rich, tropical fruit style of Chardonnay, there are some great examples from Napa that are relative values. My top pick for the money is the Arnot-Roberts Watson Ranch Napa Valley Chardonnay, with the current release going for a relatively reasonable average of $35. Here I get more lemon and lemon cream than super-ripe tropical fruit, but with solid weight and creamy texture. Also quite good but considerably pricier, at about $50, is the Hestan Vineyards Chardonnay, made by sought after Napa winemaking consultant Mark Herold. - Richard Jennings, IntoWine.com Featured Contributor and the Founder RJonWine.com

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Mike Grgich: The "King of Chardonnay" on the Past, Present, and Future of Napa Valley Wine

A legend in Napa Valley, Croatian born winemaker Mike Grgich has witnessed -and played a major role in- the transformation of Napa Valley from rural farm town to international wine superpower. His Chardonnays have been victorious at two of the most celebrated wine tastings in modern history. In 1976, the Chardonnay he crafted for Napa's Chateau Montelena beat the best wines France had to offer in the wine industry altering Judgment of Paris. A year later, he partnered with Austin Hills of the Hills Bros. Coffee family to launch Grgich Hills Cellar. The extraordinary winemaking continued as in 1980 Grgich Hills Chardonnay beat 221 other Chardonnays for first place in a blind tasting at The Great Chicago Showdown. The moniker "The King of Chardonnay" soon followed. I had the great fortune of chatting with Mike Grgich recently. What follows is his take on the past, present, and future of Napa Valley wine and Grgich Hills.

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Napa Valley Chardonnay: Foods to Pair With, and Meals that Call for, Napa Chardonnay

Chardonnay—a chameleon of a grape. There are an especially large number of choices to be made in terms of winemaking when it comes to Chardonnay. It can be still or sparkling. It can be aged in oak or un-oaked, filtered or unfiltered, subject to malolactic fermentation or not. Even the type of oak used, or the decision to keep the wine in contact with dead yeast cells during the winemaking process affects the style of the final product. These factors (not to mention the concept of terroir) result in endless Chardonnay styles that can range from Burgundy’s crisp, austere, mineral-driven wines to Australia’s tropical fruit-packed, viscous style.

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Cuvaison 2018 Chardonnay, Kite Tail

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Napa Valley Chardonnay: Foods to Pair With, and Meals that Call for, Napa Chardonnay