By Bruce Neyers

Friday 19th May, 2023

We were delighted to read a recent report from the ‘Wine Spectator’ on our 2019 Chardonnay ‘Carneros District’. Their comments were more than flattering, and the wine was given a score of 90 POINTS. Here’s what they had to say:

Neyers 2019 Carneros District Chardonnay
“Presents poached pear, apple pastry and lemon curd flavors that are rich and spicy, with notes of marmalade and spicy baked apple. Features a crisp thread of acidity, which comes across as a fresh squeeze of lemon on the finish. Drink now.”  90 POINTS – MaryAnn Worobiec

This review will appear in the June 30, 2023 issue.

We’ve been enthusiastic about this bottling of our celebrated Carneros District Chardonnay since its release, and while stocks are sold out at our warehouse, the wine may still be available through our distribution channels. As usual, it’s a blend of fruit from the Yamakawa and Sangiacomo Vineyards, just south and west of the town of Sonoma, along with fruit from a lower elevation block of the Donnell family’s El Novillero Vineyard. The grapes are all picked by hand, field-sorted, then whole-cluster pressed at our Sage Canyon winery, using our Bucher tank press. The juice is pumped to 60-gallon French-oak barrels, where it is allowed to ferment naturally, relying on the native, wild yeast. Malo-lactic fermentation occurs naturally as well, then the wine ferments slowly in barrel until dry. We do the first racking in July, then briefly cold-hold for a week, before bottling, using a mobile unit. It’s a classic example of traditional-Burgundian techniques, adapted to Chardonnay production in California. The fruit is bright and complex, the aroma combines exotic notes of grilled bread and hazelnut, the flavors are of lemon and ripe pears. There’s a soft, acidic finish that leaves an aftertaste of tropical fruit. A bottle will be perfect with tonight’s dinner.