Winemaker Notes
Tamber Bey's estate-grown Dijon clone Chardonnay is a unique wine for Napa. This Chardonnay has a ‘Burgundian’ feel, as the French Dijon clone brings a wonderful mid-palate sense of fruit, but leaves out the oak and butter (characteristic of traditional Napa Chardonnays). This old block of Chardonnay just keeps giving us the amazing fruit.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A creamy and fruity white with some reserve, showing cooked-apple, lemon and light vanilla undertones. Medium body. Fruity finish. Drink now.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Chardonnay Deux Chevaux Vineyard features very pretty notions of honey drizzled white peaches, ripe Bosc pears, lime blossoms and Mandarin peel with hints of marzipan, nutmeg and candied ginger. Medium-bodied, the palate reveals soft spoken savory and stone fruit flavors and a satiny texture, finishing on a spicy note.
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 Napa Valley's most historic sub-appellations, Yountville spreads through some of the valley's ideal cooler sites and enjoys success with a handful of different and significant grape varieties.
Syrah competes strongly with Cabernet Sauvignon here for optimal vineyard real estate followed by Pinot noir, Pinot blanc and Sauvignon blanc.
This sub-AVA of Napa Valley is rich in the history that makes Napa Valley what it is today, and not just for red wines. Moët & Chandon entered the California winemaking business via Yountville in 1973 with the establishment Domaine Chandon. Their goal has always been to produce top quality méthode champenoise sparkling wines.
Christian Moueix, originally responsible for managing Chateau Petrus and La Fleur-Petrus in Pomerol, arrived in Yountville in the early 1980s. He formed a partnership with Rohin Lail and Marcia Smith, inheritors of Napanook vineyard from their father John Daniel of Inglenook in Rutherford. In 1995 Moueix became sole owner of Napanook and chose the name Dominus, which today produces some of Napa’s highest scoring, age-worthy Bordeaux Blends.