Winemaker Notes
This wine appears light straw in the glass with aromas of toasted brioche, baking spices, and candied lemon rind. On the palate, the Carneros Chardonnay is full-bodied and creamy yet balanced by its lively acidity; with nuanced flavors of yellow apple, lemon curd, baked pear, melon, and subtle hints of oak toast.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Fleshy in fig, guava and a hearty helping of vanilla oak, this wine is of moderate build and lushly likable. The finish offers a sophisticated seasoning of anise.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: Some wines are almost too automatic that I don't care what vintage I am drinking. The 2016 Frank Family Vineyards Carneros Chardonnay reminds of most of the earlier vintages that I have tasted. I enjoy this wine's consistency. TASTING NOTES: This wine is firm, rich, and lasting. Its aromas and flavors of core fruit and savory oak would be perfect with grilled chicken thighs, apples, and crisp greens. (Tasted: October 24, 2018, San Francisco, CA)
Since the founding of the winery in 1992, Frank Family Vineyards has poured their passion for land, grape growing and winemaking into each and every bottle of Frank Family Vineyards wine. Today they own over 450 acres of the finest vineyard land checkerboarded throughout the Napa Valley. This allows them to control quality and cultivate sustainably on their own estate and enables winemaker, Todd Graff, to blend perfectly balanced wines. With a commitment to crafting the finest representation of Napa Valley wines, Frank Family Vineyards hopes to create a legacy for generations to come.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
Known for elegant wines that combine power and finesse, Carneros is set in the rolling hills that straddle the southernmost parts of both Sonoma and Napa counties. The cooling winds from the abutting San Pablo Bay, combined with lots of midday California sunshine, create an ideal environment for producing wines with a perfect balance of crisp acidity and well-ripened fruit.
This cooler pocket of California lends itself to growing Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah. Carneros is an important source of sparkling wines made in the style of Champagne as well.