Pina Napa Valley Low Vineyard Chardonnay 2019
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Jeb
Dunnuck
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2019 Chardonnay Low Vineyard offers loads of spice and orchard fruits as well as subtle honeysuckle, and brioche. Rich and concentrated, with a great mid-palate, it holds onto a terrific sense of freshness. It’s a terrific Chardonnay to drink over the coming 4-6 years. Best After 2022
The Piña family’s roots in the Napa Valley are deep—eight generations deep—a fact that gives them no small amount of gravitas when it comes to producing wines of great distinction. Today, the wine industry is one of the last bastions of family farming in this country—a fact that the Piña family never takes for granted. With a foundation built on a storied past, this remarkable family has been making wine commercially for over 30 years, and has been making wines and tending Napa Valley vineyards for over 150 years. It’s no surprise that the Piña family, with its eight generations of expertise, is responsible for crafting award-winning wines with Winemaker Anna Monticelli at the helm capturing the true essence of Napa Valley.
Piña Napa Valley was built in 1981 on the grounds of the family’s heritage home on the Silverado Trail. Currently managed by John, Larry, Ranndy and Davie Piña, the winery and vineyards are renowned for their place in Napa Valley’s history.
After traveling to California, their great-great-grandfather Bluford Stice found that the vast open space at the edge of the continent appealed to his adventurous spirit. So in 1856, he led a wagon train and brought his family to the Napa Valley all the way from Missouri. His father, Moses Stice, began growing grapes in the Napa Valley in the 1860s. Bluford’s son, Lafayette, was born in Napa Valley in 1860 and went on to become a leader in the Napa Valley wine industry at the turn of the twentieth century; his achievements as a winemaker at Harris Winery (now Martin Estate), Brun and Chaix Winery (now Ladera) and Inglenook Winery are widely documented in Napa Valley’s historical records. Lafayette grew grapes and made wine from vineyards just south of St. Helena, where Stice Lane is today.
By 1960, with a reputation as a meticulous vineyard manager, John Piña Jr. opened his own business. This successful enterprise became Piña Vineyard Management, recognized as one of the leading vineyard management companies in California today.
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.
As one of Napa’s coolest sub-appellations, the area begs for diversity among its vineyards. Merlot and Chardonnay firmly compete with Cabernet Sauvignon for a place here. Some of Napa’s best Zinfandels also come from the Oak Knoll District.
Situated far in Napa’s southern end, Oak Knoll receives a strong cooling influence from both the San Pablo Bay and the Pacific Coast’s evening fog and breezes. Summer days are warm but on average ten degrees cooler than in St. Helena farther north up the valley; summer nights are chilly. A long growing season promotes for leisurely ripening of grape berries, resulting in an impressive balance of sugars, phenols and acidity.
Notable producers include Trefethen, one of the appellation’s oldest wineries, Robert Biale, legendary Zinfandel producer and Lewis Cellars, a family-run, hands-on establishment.