COLOUR
White
TYPE
Still
VINTAGE
2022
GRAPE
Chardonnay
PRODUCER
Pahlmeyer Winery
REGION
California
CHARACTERISTICS
Body
Full
Sweetness
Dry
Acidity
Medium - High
Finish
Long
Intensity
Pronounced
AROMAS & FLAVOURS
ABOUT THIS WINE
Founded in 1986 by former trial attorney Jayson Pahlmeyer, Pahlmeyer Winery has long been a benchmark producer of mountain-grown wines in Napa Valley. Jayson famously dreamed of creating a "California Mouton-Rothschild" and reportedly smuggled French clonal cuttings into the US to achieve his vision. Today, under the ownership of the Gallo family and the winemaking leadership of Katie Vogt, the estate continues to craft iconic, structured wines. The fruit for this Chardonnay is sourced from a prestigious collection of five vineyards spanning both high-elevation mountain sites like Atlas Peak and cool-climate valley floor locations in Carneros, offering a unique blend of power and elegance.
ALCOHOL
14.4%
AVG. PRICE
€138
STYLE
Classic
VEGAN
YES
SULPHITES
When to drink
Now or Later
Ideal temperature
15-16°C
INTERESTING FACTS
Fact 01
Founder Jayson Pahlmeyer reportedly smuggled French clonal cuttings into the US through Canada to start his vineyard.
Fact 02
The wine uses a 'black chardonnay' technique, hyper-oxidizing the juice to make the final wine highly resistant to premature aging.
Fact 03
This vintage was bottled completely unfined and unfiltered to preserve its maximum natural density and texture.
FOOD PAIRING
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WINE MAKING PROCESS
The winemaking process for this Chardonnay utilizes a rare technique known as "black chardonnay," where the juice is hyper-oxidized before fermentation to strip out easily oxidizable compounds, enhancing the wine's long-term stability. The grapes are harvested in the cool early morning hours and gently whole-cluster pressed. The free-run and press fractions are segregated and aged separately. Primary fermentation takes place in barrels using a mix of native and inoculated yeasts. The wine undergoes 100% malolactic fermentation, during which it is kept on its fine lees and stirred (bâtonnage) up to three times per week to build texture. It is aged for 12 months in 100% new François Frères heavy-toast French oak barrels and bottled completely unfined and unfiltered.
