Winemaker Notes
This gorgeous Chardonnay opens with fresh, citrus aromas of Meyer lemon and lime followed by juicy, ripe peach, with underlying notes of honeysuckle, herbs and vanilla. The 2018 vintage showed above-average natural acids in the wines, which, along with lower sugar levels, make the 2018 vintage of white wines exceptionally fresh and vibrant. Take a sip, and you’ll find that this 2018 Chardonnay, Napa Valley exhibits extraordinary balance of citrus fruit on the front palate with minerality and depth of flavors on the mid-palate. The aftertaste is harmonious and lingers well beyond expectation.
Organically grown
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2018 Grgich Hills Estate Chardonnay is stylish, compelling, and pure. TASTING NOTES: This wine exhibits classic aromas and flavors of dried apples, herbs, earth, and light oaky notes. Try it with grilled crab legs in a decadent cream sauce. (Tasted: March 23, 2021, San Francisco, CA)
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James Suckling
Aromas of honeysuckle, nectarine, crushed stones and toasted hazelnut. Hint of white pepper. It’s full-bodied and creamy with crisp acidity. Dense and concentrated with a toasty, flinty finish. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Chardonnay bursts from the glass with intense scents of white peaches, lemon curd, fresh grapefruit and lime blossoms with hints of sea spray and toasted almonds. The medium-bodied palate is wonderfully crisp and intense, with bags of citrus fruit and a satiny texture to counter all that vivacity, finishing long and minerally.
As a family-owned and operated winery, Grgich Hills Estate is committed to crafting wines of the highest standard and consistency. Their dedication to these principles has led to the achievement of Regenerative Organic Certification for all five of their estate vineyards in December 2022. This system prioritizes the long-term health and longevity of their vines, revitalizes the land, and allows for the creation of wines that are unmatched in their quality and expression of terroir.
It is with a spirit of curiosity, discovery, and excellence that Miljenko “Mike” Grgich and partner Austin Hills founded Grgich Hills Estate in 1977, after Mike’s Chateau Montelena Chardonnay won the famed 1976 Paris Tasting. These values propel Grgich Hills Estate forward as they continue to make exquisite wines, while pioneering a sustainable future for Napa Valley.
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.
One of the world's most highly regarded regions for wine production as well as tourism, the Napa Valley was responsible for bringing worldwide recognition to California winemaking. In the 1960s, a few key wine families settled the area and hedged their bets on the valley's world-class winemaking potential—and they were right.
The Napa wine industry really took off in the 1980s, when producers scooped up vineyard lands and planted vines throughout the county. A number of wineries emerged, and today Napa is home to hundreds of producers ranging from boutique to corporate. Cabernet Sauvignon is definitely the grape of choice here, with many winemakers also focusing on Bordeaux blends. White wines from Napa Valley are usually Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
Within the Napa Valley lie many smaller sub-AVAs that claim specific wine characteristics based on situation, slope and soil. Farthest south and coolest from the influence of the San Pablo Bay is Carneros, followed by Coombsville to its northeast and then Yountville, Oakville and Rutherford. Above those are the warm St. Helena and the valley's newest and hottest AVA, Calistoga. These areas follow the valley floor and are known generally for creating rich, dense, complex and smooth red wines with good aging potential. The mountain sub appellations, nestled on the slopes overlooking the valley AVAs, include Stags Leap District, Atlas Peak, Chiles Valley (farther east), Howell Mountain, Mt. Veeder, Spring Mountain District and Diamond Mountain District. Napa Valley wines from the mountain regions are often more structured and firm, benefiting from a lot of time in the bottle to evolve and soften.