Cakebread Chardonnay Napa Valley 2018 750ML
Cakebread Chardonnay, Napa Valley, 2018 750ML
Chardonnay from Napa Valley, California
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.
Notes from the Winemaker
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.
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 Ratings
91 Points/James Suckling
Aromas of peach, sliced apple, cream and crushed stones. It’s medium-bodied with crisp acidity. Creamy and straightforward. Drink now.
90 Points/Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
The 2018 Chardonnay comes 95% from Carneros and 5% from Napa Valley. Barrel fermented in 33% new oak, it spent eight months on the lees, and 18% went through malolactic. It was bottled June 1, 2019. Slowly, it reveals very pretty poached pears, apple pie and apricot scents with touches of beeswax, toasted almond and lanolin. Medium-bodied, the palate has great poise and finesse, delivering a racy backbone and loads of tight-knit stone fruit flavors, finishing long and toasty.