Grapes: 100% Chardonnay

At the heart of Napa’s cool southern reaches, this vintage from Grgich Hills Estate celebrates a legacy of Californian Chardonnay excellence — a thoughtful nod to the famed 1976 blind tasting in Paris where the winning Chardonnay — crafted by Mike Grgich, then winemaker at Chateau Montelena — became one of the most influential wines in modern history.

The “Paris Tasting” Commemorative 2021 blends estate-grown fruit from the oldest block of Chardonnay with restrained cellar work to produce a wine of clarity, elegance and bright tension.

Vinification uses native yeasts, gentle whole-cluster pressing and aging in French oak (some new) alongside older barrels to preserve precision and texture rather than richness. The result: Chardonnay with poise, minerality and an elegant frame.

On the nose: crisp lemon oil, green apple and white peach underpinned by ginger spice and a subtle sea-salt breeze. The palate is refined—fresh orchard fruit evolves into chalky mineral resolve, carried by taut acidity into a long, clean finish. This is a Chardonnay of composure, suited to now yet built for age.