Neyers Vineyards Bruce's Journal
An Exotic Introduction to the New Year
By Bruce Neyers
Thursday 13th February, 2025
The 2022 Chardonnay ‘Carneros District’ – Introducing a New Year
Growing conditions for our 2022 Chardonnay ‘Carneros District’ bottling were nearly identical to those of the prior year, 2021. In 2022, we finished harvesting grapes at the Yamakawa Vineyard on September 26, compared to September 21 the year before. A late September harvest is always a good sign at this vineyard. The slower ripening years result in more complex wines, since the berries reach complete physiological maturity, with both the skins and the pulp having had time to mature. We produce tastier wines, structured and rich, in colder years like this, and the finished wine in 2022 is grand and delicious. The wine also includes grapes from the Sangiacomo Green Acres Vineyard and the Donnell family’s El Novillero Vineyard. The latter is the western-most and highest-elevation Chardonnay parcel in Carneros. We whole-cluster press the grapes — all of which are hand-picked that morning — then pump the raw juice into 60-gallon French oak barrels, most of them from François Frères, a cooperage in the heart of Burgundy, just outside Meursault. We prefer to use 25% new oak barrels producing this wine. The juice ferments naturally, without use of laboratory-designed yeast, and this native, wild yeast slows the fermentation, so it lasts three or four months. This adds complexity by allowing the finished wine longer contact time with the yeast cells. It further increases the wine’s body and texture by forming glycerol, which adds an additional pleasing note. The result is a Chardonnay bottling both aromatic and attractive, rich and elegant. Here’s a recent review by journalist James Suckling:
Neyers 2022 Carneros District Chardonnay
A powerful yet refreshing Chardonnay. Aromas of lemon curd, orange blossoms, and poached apples. The palate is medium-bodied and creamy, with a focused acidity complemented by lingering notes of Asian pears, grapefruit and spiced quince. Drink or hold. 92 POINTS
One of my favorite dishes this time of year is Barbara’s Petrale Sole. She sautés it in a cast-iron pan, then serves it with a lemon-butter sauce. Our local market recently brought in some fresh Hawaiian Ono, however, and she prepared it using her Petrale Sole recipe. I probably don’t need to point out that it was perfect with a bottle of our 2022 Carneros Chardonnay.
Pan Sautéed Petrale Sole (or Hawaiian Ono if available)
Ingredients
-
- 4 6-ounce skinless Petrale Sole or Ono filets
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 6 to 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Juice from 1 lemon
- 4 lemon quarters
Preparation
- Season the filets with salt and pepper, and dust with flour on both sides. Be sure to shake off any excess flour.
- In a large skillet or cast-iron pan, melt the 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat.
- Once the butter is melted, add the fish.
- Sauté the fish until golden brown. Since the fish is delicate, be careful when turning the fish to the other side. If the fish becomes too brown, lower the heat to medium. Depending on the thickness of the filets, cook about 2 minutes on each side.
- While the fish is cooking, melt 4 tablespoons of butter and add the lemon juice.
- Serve the fish with the lemon butter mixture. Add a lemon wedge to each plate.
Winter is here, the vines are dormant, the last leaf has fallen, and it’s time to prune. We now do a pre-pruning pass in December, which allows us to get a head-start on vine pruning. We use our regular vineyard team for pre-pruning, then wait until March to bring in a crew of experts to do the final pruning. They can then make better individual vine decisions based on the vine’s overall appearance, while allowing the vine additional time to recover from the pruning ‘wounds’. We also push back the time of budbreak, and avoid the risk of frost damage. Note the appearance of our cover crop in the rows between vines. It’s a mix of vetch, bell beans, peas and Cayuse Oats. By spring it will have grown to a height of a foot or more. We will mow it, let it decompose, then disk it into the ground as a natural soil nutrient.
Neyers Vineyards 2022 Carneros Chardonnay label
On a fishing trip in Hawaii a few years ago, we were lucky enough to catch a selection of fish, and the captain of our charter sold them to a local restaurant. From left to right they are Spearfish, two Ono, and a Mahi Mahi. We dined there later that night, and they prepared one of the Ono for our party of family and friends. We enjoyed it with a splendid bottle (or two) of Neyers Carneros District Chardonnay. Ask your local fish dealer – or the meat department at your local market – if they bring in some fresh Hawaiian Ono for you. Barbara’s recipe is below.
Our home ranch and vineyard are in the eastern hills of the Napa Valley, about 5 miles from Saint Helena. We share the neighborhood with a wide range of wildlife, but it’s rare for us to be visited by a Bobcat. I’ve only seen a handful in our many years on the property. A few weeks ago, Lizzie took this photo of one out for a stroll on the far side of the fence separating our property from a neighbor.
Photo by Lizzie Neyers Mix
