Pahlmeyer 2019 Chardonnay, Napa Valley

Pahlmeyer's Napa Valley Chardonnay is an iconic wine. It was a Wine Spectator Top 10 wine of the year in 2016. For this 2018 grapes were sourced from the Pahlmeyer Estate, Hyde Vineyard and the Antica vineyard. After rigorous inspection, the finest lots were pressed then racked into 100% new French oak barrels for fermentation on native yeast. Stirring the lees over the next six months only as needed to stimulate the process. After malolactic fermentation completed, the wine continued to age on lees for a total of 16 months aging. The wine was bottled without fining or filtration. James Suckling scored this 95 points saying "This is a fantastic young chardonnay with crushed-stone, dried apple and pear and light vanilla-bean character. It’s full-bodied, but very tight with firmness and energy at the end. The cement and stone character is intense on the finish, giving spiciness to the fruit. Drink or hold."