A beautifully made wine that speaks volumes about what California Chardonnay can offer when the grapes are grown in the right (i.e. cooler) place and treated with care and intelligence in the winery. Chappellet, which has been doing all of the above for years, has turned out another splendid vintage, layered and complex, with notes of peach and lemon peel anchored by a suggestion of damp-pebble minerality. The wine is rich and creamy yet tempered by just the right dose of acidity. Please excuse me while I go and pour myself another glass of this delightful wine.
Chappellet, Napa Valley (California) Chardonnay 2016
By Marguerite Thomas