Winemaker Notes
The wine opens with lifted aromatics of subtle tones of jasmine and lemongrass supported by a lovely fruit set of Meyer lemon, white peach, and Bartlett pear. On the palate the wine expands, broadening the frame, bringing layers of texture and energy. Secondary flavors of bergamot, and green cardamom round out the mid-palate. The finish is long with lingering notes of orchard fruit, flint rock and salinity.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A broad, generous wine that's also nicely crisp, balanced, intricate and layered. Baked apples, lemon butter, toasted almonds, minerals and an appetizing, chalky edge in the finish. Medium-bodied, long, lingering, layered and complex. From organically grown grapes.
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Wine Spectator
An impressive white, offering a mouthwatering, intense mix of Meyer lemon, peach, lime zest and crunchy sea salt, with details of tarragon, sage and lemon balm, all on a sleek and vibrant frame, where the flavors keep reverberating. Drink now through 2035. 1,950 cases made.
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Vinous
The 2022 Chardonnay is a pretty, soft wine that offers tons of immediacy. Hints of tropical fruit, marzipan, tangerine oil, spice and chamomile show off the riper side of Chardonnay. As always, the malolactic fermentation is almost all blocked, so what comes through is the natural intensity of the year.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Scents of lemon curd and pencil shavings appear on the nose of the 2022 Chardonnay. A lean, lithe effort that weighs in at under 14% alcohol, it's medium-bodied, crisp and clean, with a bright, refreshingly lemony finish. Rating: 91+
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.
Centered at the peak for which it is named, Mount Veeder is Napa’s largest sub-AVA. But even though the entire appellation spreads over 16,000 acres, vineyards cover a mere 1,000. Scattered among Douglas firs and bristlecone pines, Mount Veeder vineyards extend south from the upper elevations of the Mayacamas Mountains—the highest point at 2,400 feet—to the border of the Carneros region. Less than 25 wineries produce wine from Mount Veeder fruit.
Winemaking began early in this appellation. In 1864, Captain Stelham Wing presented the first Mount Veeder wine to the Napa County Fair; it came from today’s Wing Canyon Vineyard. Prohibition, of course, halted winemaking and viticulture wasn’t revitalized until the founding of Mayacamas Vineyards in 1951 and Bernstein Vineyards in 1964.
The Bernstein Vineyards was actually home to the first Petit Verdot in California, planted in 1975. Today most of the Petit Verdot in Napa Valley originates from this vineyard.
Rocky volcanic clay and ancient seabed matter dominate Mount Veeder soils—perfect for Bordeaux varieties. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot enjoy spectacular success. These varieties produce wines rich in brambly blackberry and black cherry fruit with herbal and floral aromatics. Structures are moderate to assertive and wines have great staying power.
Chardonnay from Mount Veeder is lush, full and balanced mineral and fresh citrus flavors.