We deliver right to your door!
We deliver right to your door!
Miljenko “Mike” Grgich has been called “The King of Chardonnay”. You can certainly understand why in this classically-styled wine.
Chardonnay thrives in Grgich’s American Canyon and Carneros vineyards in the southern tip of Napa Valley, near San Pablo Bay, which spills into the San Francisco Bay. The cool maritime breezes and morning fog allow the grapes to slowly ripen and develop complex flavours while maintaining a pleasing natural acidity that is impossible to achieve in warmer areas. All vineyards are Certified Organic. They are farmed without artificial pesticides or herbicides.
This Chardonnay, fermented with indigenous yeast and aged 10 months in French oak, did not go through malolactic fermentation, preserving its brightness and natural acidity in lieu of smooth, creamy layers. The wine displays ripe peach, mango and tropical fruit flavours, with a base note of minerality. Enjoy with fresh seafood, roasted chicken, grilled pork, and creamy cheeses.
“When Mike Grgich made the 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay—the white wine that won the Paris Tasting—he used fruit from the Bacigalupi Vineyard in the Russian River Valley. He soon moved into a partnership with Austin Hills, assembling an organically farmed estate that includes 88 acres in Carneros and 163 in American Canyon, the cool, southern districts of the Napa Valley where this chardonnay grows. Now, at 98, Grgich leaves winegrowing to his nephew, Ivo Jeramaz, who produced this complex and compelling wine. Put aside any preconceptions you might have about contemporary Napa Valley chardonnay; consider instead an agriculture that might include native corn (one taster cited the ethereal sweetness of nixtamalized corn) and stone-fruit orchards (a scent of apricots). There’s the smokiness of ancho chile and a scent of woodland mushrooms in the wine’s dark-toned leesiness. Then the layers of flavour last, harmonious and delicious.”
94 points & “Year’s Best US Chardonnay“, Joshua Greene, Wine & Spirits, October 2021
