Cakebread Cellars Chardonnay 2022, Napa Valley, California

2021 vintage – 100% Chardonnay. “This wine opens with aromas of ripe golden apple, white peach, and light oak. On the palate, apple and pear characters are balanced by fresh acidity, and the finish is clean, with appealing hints of apple and lemoon intermingling with notes of minerality. This is a versatile pairing wine – we love it with grilled seafood and nearly any selection of cheeses. “Over 50 years ago, we released our very first wine: a 1973 Napa Valley Chardonnay, and we have been fine-tuning it ever since. Grapes for this wine come from the world-famous Carneros appellation in southern Napa Valley. This region sits just north of San Pablo Bay, whose influence provides the cool, windswept conditions that produce Chardonnay with ideal balance between fruit characters and acidity. Soils here are predominantly Haire Loam, a light clay that helps grapevines naturally regulate vigor for fruit of intense concentration. Aged for 8 months in 33% new French oak; 4% malolactic fermentation.