Top rated Chardonnays from Napa Valley for the USA

By | July 13, 2016

Introduction

People might wonder why Napa Valley takes it place between the best Chardonnay producing regions in the world. The reasons are threefold. Producing 4% of California’s wines this valley has this great and unique combination of

top rated Napa valley chardonnay

soil and climate for wine grapes and it has the professionals to optimally use these circumstances.

The growing conditions here are so favourable for growing wine grapes that growers could be complacent at their  job of farming. In fact, they are not as they do not want to make pretty good wines only, but they want to produce the best! And this is exactly what has been happening in recent years, especially in the area of Chardonnays, which can now compete with the best from the French Burgundy, the origin of all Chardonnays.

It is my pleasure to present some of these top rated Chardonnays from Napa Valley in my reviews below and offer them to you through the USA’s number 1 internet company for delivering wine, Wine.com.

Introduction to Wine.com (the number 1 wine retailer by revenue)

Our mission is to promote the wine lifestyle, through innovation. Head-quartered in San Francisco, right between California’s wine country and Silicon Valley, we’re passionate about using technology to bring you the world of wine at your fingertips.banner

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The average grocery store carries 600 wines and the average wine shop carries 1,200. Wine.com offers you over 10,000 wines every year from over 100 appellations and 50 grape varietals. Our available inventory is well over a million bottles. Get the best wines at Wine.com right here:

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Delivery made easy – faster, safer & cheaper

Once you’ve found your wine(or case), our fulfilment team takes over. Wine presents some unique delivery challenges: it’s heavy, glass, perishable in extreme temperatures, requires an adult signature for delivery and many states don’t even let you ship there. We’ve been attacking and solving these problems for over a decade.

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We’re confident in what we do, and excited to have you become a fan too! If your wine arrives spoiled or damaged in any way, we’ll replace it, no questions asked. We have in-house customer service centres on both coasts ready to take your call or email for this or any other support you require.

What do the ratings mean?

Score Explanation
95–100 A classic great wine
90–94 An outstanding wine of superior character and style
85–89 A very good wine with special qualities
80-84 A good solid, well-made wine
75–79 A mediocre wine, drinkable but may have minor flaws
50–74 Not recommended

The best selling wines you need to try:

1) Product: Chardonnais Napa Valley Chardonnay

Where to buy best: Wine.comtop rated napa valley chardonnays

Vintage: 2013

Bottle: 750 ml

Location: Napa Valley

Rating: 90/100

Price: Discounted 33% from $29.99 to $19.99

Wine Tasting Notes

Delightful buttered toast and oak aromas marry with tree and tropical fruit flavors, framed by a very light acid backbone. Brilliant yellow gold colour. Enticing nose of butterscotch, caramel, vanilla, fig, mango, ginger and candied apple. Starts with sweet pineapple, apple, caramel, and vanilla flavors. The luscious, creamy-textured mid-palate is graced by a hint of cinnamon spice and leads to a refreshing, yet silky smooth, finish.

Pair with chicken, pasta, fish, seafood and shellfish dishes.

Wine Makers Notes

Chardonnais vineyard is located in the southern part of Napa Valley, in Carneros, where the the days are warm and the nights are cold, allowing the grapes to hang on the vine longer, providing full flavor development. Soils are low fertility clay and sandy loam, resulting in grapes with concentrated fruit flavors and refreshing acidity. These Chardonnay grapes were whole cluster pressed and then fermented and aged exclusively in French oak barrels, a nod to Old World winemaking tradition that is also evident in the whimsical name Chardonnais.

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2) Product: Trefethen Estate Chardonnay

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Vintage: 2014

Bottle: 750 ml

Alcohol: 14.1%

Location: Napa Valley

Rating: 90/100

Price: Discounted 22% from $36 to $27.99

Wine Tasting Notes

A classic Trefethen Chardonnay, the 2014 starts with enticing aromas of Granny Smith apple, clover honey, honeysuckle and nutmeg. Clean and bright flavors of tropical fruits, peach and crisp citrus envelop your taste buds.

Critical Acclaim

  • Tasting Panel“Bright and juicy with lively acidity and fresh style; silky and long, lively and balanced. “

Wine Makers Notes

Built in 1886, John and Janet Trefethen began restoring what is today the Trefethen winery in 1973. A national historic landmark and the only wooden gravity-flow winery in the Napa Valley, Trefethen is also one of Napa’s largest estate wineries, with its 600 acres of vineyards surrounding the winery. The Trefethen family creates Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Riesling as well as limited quantities of Library Selection Chardonnay, Library Selection Cabernet Sauvignon and Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.

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3) Product: Beringer Luminus Chardonnay

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Vintage: 2013

Bottle: 750 ml

Alcohol: 14.0%

Location: Napa Valley

Rating: 91/100

Price: Discounted 18% from $39 to $31.99

Wine Tasting Notes

The Luminus has a striking purity of fruit, and showcases bright citrus characteristics and a beautiful minerality. It has a robust acidity, notes of lemon pith, almond extract, and a silky, elegant texture.

Wine Makers Notes

No winery or vineyard more thoroughly embodies the timeless appeal and seductive flavor of Napa Valley than Beringer Vineyards, Napa’s benchmark producer since the establishment of the vineyard in 1876.

Now in its third century of crafting classic wines from Napa’s finest appellations and vineyards, Beringer today is guided by the inspired partnership of celebrated Winemaster Emeritus Ed Sbragia and Winemaker Laurie Hook. Together, they craft Napa Valley wines that speak eloquently of the rich heritage of the Beringer Vineyard, while offering cutting-edge quality and contemporary elegance. The exquisite wines crafted at the Beringer Vineyards display a single minded dedication and pursuit of excellence instilled by its founder, Jacob Beringer.

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4) Product: Hendry Barrel Fermented Chardonnay

Where to buy best: Wine.comtop rated napa valley chardonnay

Vintage: 2013

Bottle: 750 ml

Alcohol: 14.6%

Location: Napa Valley

Rating: 90/100

Price: Discounted 14% from $35 to $29.99

Wine Tasting Notes

Primary aromas of baked apple and pear juxtaposed with the smoky, toasty aromas of the moderate oak. Silky on the palate, with a balanced, even impression and green apple-like acidity. Creamy, biscuity finish from the extended lees contact.

Called “impeccably crafted” by a certain well-known wine writer, this balanced, elegant wine pairs with a wide range of moderately rich foods like smoked salmon, ricotta ravioli in brown butter, or a white wine coq au vin.

Critical Acclaim

  • The Wine Advocate“There doesn’t appear to be a lot of oak in the 2013 Chardonnay from Hendry, but I like what’s there – some nice caramelised citrus, medium to full body, good mouth texture and lusciousness, but great purity and a steely minerality. This is serious Chardonnay that sort of creeps up on the taster as it’s in the mouth. Drink it over the next several years.”

Wine Makers Notes

The Hendry family has been farming the same vineyard in Napa since 1939. The lessons learned in more than 70 harvests provide us with a level of knowledge and a connection to the land that is rare in Napa. The Hendry Ranch is composed of 114 acres of vineyard situated in the hills north west of Napa. This latitude in the valley experiences substantial marine influence, and allows us to grow 10 different varietals, each carefully distributed among our 47 vineyard blocks. All Hendry wines are made from estate grapes, and 2011 will be the 20th vintage of the Hendry label. Through the subtle use of oak, and restraint in ripeness, our wines are crafted to highlight the terroir of the vineyard.

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I hope you have enjoyed these reviews and if you might have any questions, please use the comment box and I will come back to you within 24 hours.

2 thoughts on “Top rated Chardonnays from Napa Valley for the USA

  1. Paula

    hi there, I enjoyed reading your post about some of the wines that you have recommended from the Napa Valley.
    I have to admit that I know very little about wines however, I do enjoy drinking them.I always enjoy learning about them – there is so much to know.
    You have recommended some wines here with a vintage of 2014 and 2013. This is something that I have never understood. What is so important about the vintage and is older always better? does it matter if the wine is red or white when it comes to the vintage?

    Reply
    1. Jerry Post author

      Hi Paula, about vintages: the taste of a particular wine is influenced by many factors, amongst which the soil, the climate, time of harvest, storage and more. You will notice I mentioned the climate and for many if not all wines, it is the weather prevailing during the period of growing and ripening (or vintage) of each vines. Amounts of rain and sunshine will differ from year to year (in most areas) and this will not miss its impact on the grapes. For example: the more sunshine a grape receives, the more sugar will be converted into alcohol. From vintage to vintage the end result, the taste of the wine, therefore may differ. Depending on the amount of sunshine, the alcohol percentage may be different. This is the same for all types of wine.

      You may have heard people speaking of a vintage that was not so good (because of too much rain, not enough sunshine or early frost) or excellent vintages where the weather favoured the grapes.

      The age of wines only matters when it takes some time, after harvesting the grapes, for the wine to mature. In reds especially, some wines need to be stored for a couple years before you get the best out of them.

      Reply

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