California Wine

Winemaker Description

The blend is dominated by the Estate Vineyard, yet the significant percentage of Walker—Kanzler's Green Valley vineyard—bends the wine in an exciting red-note direction: hibiscus, rhubarb and red licorice. The aromatics deliver fresh berries, cola, white pepper and pine sap. Fig notes emerge on the palate with a spicy, black tea finish. Modest whole cluster and slightly more new oak make the wine soft and approachable, while bright acid keeps it fresh, juicy, and well-knit.

Frey Vineyards Mendocino Chardonnay Organic 2023 — Mendocino County, California

Frey Vineyards is a true American original. Founded in 1980 in Redwood Valley, Mendocino County, Frey became the first certified organic winery in the United States — and has remained one of the country’s most committed producers of organic and biodynamic wine ever since. Their wines are made with no added sulfites (NSA), no synthetic pesticides, and no chemical additives, offering a pure, unmanipulated expression of the grape and the land.

This Mendocino Chardonnay is fermented in stainless steel with minimal oak exposure, preserving the grape’s natural freshness and fruit character. The result is bright and approachable: hints of apple, pear, and a touch of caramel on the nose and palate, with clean acidity and a light, refreshing finish. No sulfites added — ideal for those with sulfite sensitivities or anyone seeking a cleaner, more natural wine experience.

America’s first certified organic winery. No sulfites added. Pure Mendocino Chardonnay.

• Producer: Frey Vineyards, Redwood Valley, Mendocino County, California (est. 1980)
• Vintage: 2023
• Appellation: Mendocino County
• Varietal: Chardonnay
• Farming: Certified Organic, Biodynamic
• Sulfites: No Sulfites Added (NSA)
• Vegan: Yes
• Format: 750ml
• Tasting Notes: Apple, pear, caramel, light acidity, clean refreshing finish
• Best Paired With: Pumpkin risotto, honey-glazed carrots, scalloped potatoes, grilled fish, light pasta, fresh goat cheese

Organic, honest, and genuinely delicious — Frey Chardonnay is the benchmark for clean California white wine.

Winemaker Description

This wine’s aroma has it all: plums, incense, tobacco leaf, violets, and exotic spices. Zero racking and extended lees contact has given the 2011 FUTO a satisfying balance of creamy richness and superb freshness. Generous and inviting flavors of black-skinned fruits, cappuccino, citrus and cloves work in harmony with the sweet tannin and well integrated oak. While texturally approachable now, the inner density and complexity of this wine will continue to unfold with cellar age.

Expert Reviews

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 97 Points: The 2011 Proprietary Red Estate is a blend of 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc, 9% Petit Verdot and 6% Merlot. It offers sweet blackcurrant and blueberry fruit intermixed with hints of toast and white flowers, beautiful body and a savory personality. A top success for the vintage, it should drink well for 10-12 years.

Winemaker Description

Our 2011 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is an elegant representation of Napa Valley Cabernet from a cool vintage. It presents an opaque garnet hue in the glass and reveals aromas of sandalwood and roasted meats.

Flavors of vanilla, coffee beans and raspberries are buttressed by dusty tannins, firm acidity and a mouth-coating texture. Given proper cellaring, this wine should provide drinking pleasure through 2029.

Winemaker Description

Our 2013 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is dark ruby in color and entices you with a nose of raspberry, cassis and loose pipe tobacco. This full-bodied wine has an assertively silky structure and is notably spicy on the palate. Flavors of sage and blackberry mark the wine’s entry. The strong acidity in the mid-palate is followed by a lingering finish. Given proper cellaring, this wine will provide drinking pleasure through 2038.

Expert Reviews

Wine Advocate 96 Points | More elegant and refined than the Napa Cab, the 2019 Insignia features restrained cedar and vanilla notes (despite spending two years in 100% new French oak) and delicate herbal shadings accenting cassis and black cherry fruit. Full-bodied, velvety and somewhat open-knit on the palate, it turns plush and long on the finish, adding a touch of warmth. Production this year is approximately 17,000 cases, reflecting the increased volume coming from recently replanted vineyards. It's remarkable what a good job they continue to do with this bottling year after year, without compromising on quality.

Jeb Dunnuck 99 Points | Another beautiful wine from this team, the 2019 Insignia is mostly Cabernet Sauvignon but includes smaller amounts of Merlot and Malbec, brought up all in new barrels, sourced from seven estate vineyards. It has a classic varietal and incredibly complex nose of crème de cassis, freshly sharpened pencils, green tobacco, and damp earth, with a kiss of background sappy spring flowers. Seemingly from a cooler year with its freshness, vibrancy, and herbal, floral character on the nose, it's nevertheless full-bodied and beautifully concentrated on the palate, with ultra-fine tannins, a seamless, layered mouthfeel, and a gorgeous finish. Unquestionably up with the finest vintages of this cuvée, this is legit awesome juice that’s going to offer incredible pleasure over the coming 20-25 years. Hats off to winemaker Ashley Hepworth.

James Suckling 98 Points | A very aromatic Insignia with pencil-shaving and graphite highlights to the dark fruit and blackberries. Full-bodied yet tensioned and vertical with very fine tannins that run deep and layered in the wine. Needs time to come together but fantastic tension and structure. Try after 2027.Vinous 96 points The 2019 Insignia is a bold explosive wine. Sumptuous dark fruit mocha leather sweet spice and tobacco are all amplified in an Insignia endowed with tremendous textural intensity and plenty of soft contours. I imagine the 2019 will age well for years but it will also drink well with minimal cellaring.
  

Heitz Cellar Quartz Creek Vineyard Chardonnay — Napa Valley 2021

Heitz Cellar is one of Napa Valley’s founding estates — and the Quartz Creek Vineyard Chardonnay is its sole white wine, making it one of the most singular and sought-after expressions of Napa Chardonnay. The fruit comes from the Burgess-owned Quartz Creek Vineyard in Oak Knoll, a cool sub-appellation at the southern end of the Napa Valley where the influence of San Pablo Bay moderates temperatures and extends the growing season. The 2021 vintage was shaped by drought and a cool, long growing season that dramatically reduced yields — and concentrated everything that remained. The result is a Chardonnay of exceptional intensity, harmony, and cellar-worthiness: a step up even from the celebrated 2020.

The color is a luminous pale gold. The nose opens with effusive floral top notes, followed by cool, almost mentholated aromas of concentrated lime essence, lemon curd, white pear, and a whisper of toasted cashew and crushed stone. On the palate, it is medium-bodied and linear — silky and creamy in texture, with gorgeous finesse and a taut, focused structure. Vibrant citrus drives the mid-palate, with savory mineral complexity and a long, precise, and elegant finish. First and foremost, a wine of harmony.

Vinous 94 • Wine Advocate 92 • Wine Spectator 91 — “Fabulous — silky and creamy on the palate, with gorgeous finesse. First and foremost, a wine of harmony.” — Vinous

• Producer: Heitz Cellar, Napa Valley, California
• Vintage: 2021
• Appellation: Napa Valley — Oak Knoll District
• Vineyard: Quartz Creek Vineyard (Burgess-owned), Oak Knoll
• Varietal: Chardonnay
• Production: 1,310 cases
• Style: Linear, mineral-driven, harmonious Napa Chardonnay
• Size: 750ml
• Tasting Notes: Lime essence, lemon curd, white pear, toasted cashew, floral notes, crushed stone minerality
• Cellar Potential: Drink now or cellar 5–8 years
• Best Paired With: Dungeness crab, razor clams, grilled seafood, chicken marsala, creamy pasta, soft cheeses

Napa Valley’s most singular Chardonnay — Heitz Quartz Creek is harmony, precision, and terroir in a single bottle.

Winemaker Description

Forest Glen Winery produces full-flavoured, smooth red wines that are aged in small American oak barrels and are ready to be enjoyed without further bottle aging. 

Winemaker Description

Syrah Laide translates loosely to Pretty-Ugly, a French term of endearment to describe something that is unconventionally beautiful, a dogma that is applied to each cuvée. "Hawks Butte adds slightly more density and fruit while still wildly fresh with lithe tannin and Halcon compliments with brooding structure. Violet, camphor, white pepper and cedar" - Jolie-Laide 100% Syrah, grapes were planted on two vineyards (Halcon and Hawkes Butte) both at high elevation. 

Grapes are left on stems, crushed by foot and fermented with very light punch downs. The juice is then placed into neutral oak for 10 months. 12-25ppm added SO2 depending on vintage and cuvée. 

Winemaker's Description

Our Russian River Selection bottlings are quintessential Russian River Valley wines blended from some of the region’s top vineyards, taking advantage of varied climates and unique site characteristics. The 2022 Russian River Selection Pinot Noir has seductive aromas of Luxardo cherries intertwined with rose petals, fresh fennel, dark berry preserves, and a hint of savory earth. The youthful yet complex palate offers juicy flavors of sour cherries, blood orange, wild raspberries and with a dollop of tangy tamarind. Fine-grained tannins are balanced by firm acidity, creating a full-bodied texture, lending to an incredibly long, spicy finish.

Expert Review 

James Suckling - 92 Points: Bright aromas of dried strawberries, wild raspberries, dried herbs and Jolly Ranchers candy. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins and acidity, giving fresh flavors of cherry confit, toffee apples and rhubarb.