12 Bottles Cakebread Chardonnay Napa Valley 2021 750ML

Chardonnay from Napa Valley, California

Notes from the Winemaker

Our Napa Valley Chardonnay opens with aromas of ripe golden apple, white peach, and light oak. On the palate, apple and pear characteristics are balanced by fresh acidity, and the finish is clean, with appealing hints of apple and lemon intermingling with notes of minerality. This is a versatile pairing wine. We love it with grilled seafood and nearly any selection of cheeses.

Vineyards & Vintage

Our signature Napa Valley chardonnay is grown in the cool Carneros conditions that maintain an excellent balance between fruit characters and acidity in grapes. We ferment and age this white wine in French oak barrels, and leave it on the yeast lees for months to enhance texture and complexity. Floral aromas mingle with fresh citrus, orange blossom, and white peach characters, and the palate is weighty yet balanced, with a mouth-coating texture and a clean, mineral finish.

Winemaking

We harvested the grapes by night in small batches as they reached perfect maturity. Night harvest gives us fruit that is still cool from the evening temperatures, and we press it directly into tank as whole clusters. We then transfer the juice into French oak barrels for fermentation. A portion of the wine (4%) underwent malolactic fermentation. The wine aged for 8 months in French oak (33% new) with intermittent stirring of the yeast lees to enhance texture and complexity.

Reviews and Accolades

2018 91 Points/James Suckling, 90 Points/Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
2016 92 Points/Wilfred Wang
2009 90 Points/Wine Spectator