Neyers Carneros Chardonnay 2018
-
Spirits
Wine & -
Suckling
James
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
The 2018 Chardonnay ‘Carneros District’ from Neyers Vineyards is a blend of fruit from the Sangiacomo Home Vineyard, along with grapes from Jim and Del Yamakawa’s vineyard near the northern limit of the Carneros AVA. We also included fruit from Nancy and Sandy Donnell’s El Novillero Vineyard at the AVA’s western limit, and the southern Carneros District vineyard of the Ceja family.
Professional Ratings
-
Wine & Spirits
This is a blend of fruit from four vineyards in Carneros—two in the western reaches, including the Sangiacomo Home Ranch, one in the north and one to the south—all farmed to sustain a healthy yeast population for spontaneous fermentation in barrels. It’s tight and stony with zesty lemon curd flavors, lasting on umami complexities. If you open it now, pour it with an onion, bacon and Gruyère tart; it’s also built for the cellar.
-
James Suckling
Aromas of lime, spiced apple, smoke and cedar. It’s medium-to full-bodied with bright acidity, tight layers and a toasty, energetic finish.
Other Vintages
2020-
Panel
Tasting
-
Suckling
James
-
Journal
The Somm -
Spectator
Wine
-
Enthusiast
Wine
-
Spectator
Wine
-
Spectator
Wine
-
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert
-
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert
-
Parker
Robert
-
Spirits
Wine &
-
Spectator
Wine -
Spirits
Wine &
-
Spectator
Wine
-
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert
-
Spectator
Wine
In 1999, Bruce and Barbara Neyers purchased and renovated a winery on a thirty-acre parcel in the Sage Canyon area of Napa Valley. Over the next 14 months they built a modern, highly functional winery designed for traditional winemaking practices. They produced their first vintage in this state of the art facility in 2000. In 2002, Wine and Spirits Magazine named Neyers Vineyards the Artisan Winery of the Year.
About 25% of our production is Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon grown on Bruce and Barbara’s 50-acre, Conn Valley ranch. They purchase additional grapes from a select group of growers, among them the Sangiacomo family of the Carneros District, Will Nord of Napa, the Rossi Ranch of Sonoma County, Markus Bokisch and the Evangelho family.
Even though Neyers Vineyards sits in the heart of the Napa Valley, Bruce's experience with French wine importer Kermit Lynch has had an undeniable influence on their wines. Many of the French producers Bruce has worked with farm organically, make their wines naturally without use of cultured yeast or laboratory designed malo-lactic starter, and bottle their wines without fining or filtration. Neyers barrels are made in France, to our specifications, from wood that we buy in bulk and air dry for three years, two years longer than normal. All of the grapes are picked by hand, into small bins that hold only one-half ton. They are then laboriously hand sorted and inspected at the winery as winemaker Tadeo Borchardt gently guides the winemaking process along. As Bruce says, “No expense has been spared in our grape growing, winemaking practices, or processing equipment, yet customers repeatedly tell us that our wines represent great value in today's highly competitive wine market.” Bruce Neyers produces his own content for the company blog, “Vintner Tales.”
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
Known for elegant wines that combine power and finesse, Carneros is set in the rolling hills that straddle the southernmost parts of both Sonoma and Napa counties. The cooling winds from the abutting San Pablo Bay, combined with lots of midday California sunshine, create an ideal environment for producing wines with a perfect balance of crisp acidity and well-ripened fruit.
This cooler pocket of California lends itself to growing Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah. Carneros is an important source of sparkling wines made in the style of Champagne as well.