Winemaker Notes
The bright citrus notes of this wine make it a perfect match for shellfish and tarragon. Try a simple dish of salt and pepper shrimp or caramelized jumbo scallops over rice. Also try adding tarragon to fresh goat cheese and enjoy with your favorite torn bread and good friends!
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
A delicious, enticing Chardonnay which draws you into the glass with its fresh lemon rind and pith characters, balanced by a touch of perfectly judged oak sweetness. Very textural, showing strident fruit and a juicy finish.
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Wine Enthusiast
This is an elegant, classically styled Chardonnay, brimming in structure and a light touch of ripeness. Green apple, stone and apple blossom tones rise to the fore of the nose and palate. It’s low in oak and supple in texture.
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Wine & Spirits
Buzzing with grapey freshness, this simple, unfettered chardonnay follows a narrow path. It impresses with clarity rather than weight, a bright, light and mouthwatering wine that’s all about simple pleasures. Pour it on its own, or with pan-roasted lemon sole.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2018 Trefethen Chardonnay shows the excellence of the Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley AVA. TASTING NOTES: This wine is bright, sassy, and lively. Its aromas and flavors of ripe apple, peach skin, and mineral notes should pair it well with a well-seasoned rotisserie chicken. (Tasted: March 9, 2020, San Francisco, CA)
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.
As one of Napa’s coolest sub-appellations, the area begs for diversity among its vineyards. Merlot and Chardonnay firmly compete with Cabernet Sauvignon for a place here. Some of Napa’s best Zinfandels also come from the Oak Knoll District.
Situated far in Napa’s southern end, Oak Knoll receives a strong cooling influence from both the San Pablo Bay and the Pacific Coast’s evening fog and breezes. Summer days are warm but on average ten degrees cooler than in St. Helena farther north up the valley; summer nights are chilly. A long growing season promotes for leisurely ripening of grape berries, resulting in an impressive balance of sugars, phenols and acidity.
Notable producers include Trefethen, one of the appellation’s oldest wineries, Robert Biale, legendary Zinfandel producer and Lewis Cellars, a family-run, hands-on establishment.