96pts James Suckling

Aromas of lemon confit, yellow apples, baking spices and grilled pineapple. The palate is full-bodied with a creamy texture and bright acidity, giving flavors of grapefruit, lanolin, apple tart and honeysuckle. Quite a powerful wine that is carried by pure acidity and freshness.

Tasting Notes

This Chardonnay is vibrant, luscious, and full-bodied, a delightful example of Napa Valley expression. On the nose, perfumed white floral notes of honeysuckle and citrus blossom aromas leads to a creamy mouth-enveloping palate with layered flavors of pomelo, pineapple, and mango. Balanced oak offers hints of vanilla and ginger spice, while golden delicious apple and brioche toast enhance the experience. A hint of minerality compliments the fruit-forward character, all leading to a lovely, mouthwatering, and crisp, refreshing finish with length and depth.

Winemaker's Notes

Each Chardonnay lot is kept separate throughout the aging process for this flagship wine. After sending the fruit directly to press, the juice is fermented in 100% French oak barrels for 11 months to enhance the natural richness in the wine. The lees were stirred every other month to integrate the subtle oak notes and helped to develop a lovely texture, body, and mouthfeel. The wine is barrel fermented, and after aging, the most expressive lots are chosen, then blended to create a richly layered wine with aromatic aromas and rich fruit flavor intensity.

Vineyard Notes

Gamble Ranch is Beringer’s northernmost Chardonnay vineyard and has been the primary source for Private Reserve for decades. Located near the town of Yountville, in the Oakville AVA, daytime temperatures here slowly climb as the cooling morning fog recedes south to San Pablo Bay. This significant diurnal shift allows the grapes to maintain their acidity, which is essential to balancing the ripe, rich flavors as they develop during warm afternoons. Older vines, planted in 1976, featuring the Wente Clone 4, are predominant. For 2022, close to 25% of the blend was crafted from Big Ranch vineyard in Oak Knoll, which imparts a cooling influence being more centrally located within Napa Valley. Here the fruit retains more acidity and minerality, an influence from being closer to the San Pablo Bay. A higher selection of Burgundy clones also provides an elegant complexity and weight.

Grape Varietal: 100% Chardonnay