Expert Reviews - Vintage 2023
The Wine Enthusiast 93 Points | A pleasing balance of rich flavor, mouthwatering acidity and verve deliver. This wine combines the aromatic lift of citrus blossoms with flavors of crisp nectarine, spice and a hint of guava. Delicious.
James Suckling 92 Points | A creamy and flavorful chardonnay, offering white peaches, raw walnuts, lemon rind...Show More >
Expert Reviews - Vintage 2023
The Wine Enthusiast 93 Points | A pleasing balance of rich flavor, mouthwatering acidity and verve deliver. This wine combines the aromatic lift of citrus blossoms with flavors of crisp nectarine, spice and a hint of guava. Delicious.
James Suckling 92 Points | A creamy and flavorful chardonnay, offering white peaches, raw walnuts, lemon rind and melon. Rich but clean and textured, with medium to full body and delicious stone fruit in the middle. Tense, juicy finish
Winemaker Description
The 2023 vintage could be the vintage of the decade. It is among the coolest growing seasons in Napa Valley in the past ten-plus years, resulting in wines that are exceptionally flavorful, expressive, and have strong potential to age for decades to come.
This Chardonnay presents a complex bouquet with enticing aromas of ripe melon, honeysuckle, and juicy peach, complemented by delicate hints of citrus blossoms.
The name KARIA (KAR-ee-ah) is derived from the Greek word meaning graceful, and the 2023 KARIA Chardonnay lives up to its moniker. It shows how grapes from select cool-climate vineyards in southern Napa Valley can be vinified and blended into a seamless integration of fresh-fruit aromas and flavors, crisp acidity and subtle oak spice. Light and graceful: that’s KARIA.
KARIA comes from a tapestry of vineyards in the southern part of Napa Valley. For the 2023 vintage, vineyards in the Atlas Peak District (42%), Carneros (35%), Arcadia (14%) and Bravo Zulu (8%) contributed fruit for this wine. The vineyards in Carneros (Beckster Las Amigas and Carneros Creek), which are cooled in the mornings and evenings by breezes sweeping north from San Pablo Bay, contribute citrus and mineral notes to the wine. ARCADIA VINEYARD brings perfume and delicate fruit characters. The Oak Knoll vineyards (Bravo Zulu) provide bright, juicy apple and pear personality to the blend. Atlas Peak fruit adds a lemon/lime citrus character and a richer mouthfeel. The grapes for this wine were picked early in the morning to keep them cool and then they were whole cluster pressed to preserve freshness. Oak and malolactic fermentation were used in moderation to accent, rather than overwhelm, the fruit.
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