Pahlmeyer Chardonnay Napa Valley 2023 (750ml)

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Producer	Pahlmeyer
Country	United States
Region	California
Subregion	Napa
Varietal	Chardonnay
Vintage	2023
Sku	00407
Size	750ml

 

WA

93

JS

97

V

96

The 2023 Pahlmeyer Chardonnay is a bright, fresh expression of our mountain fruit, offering remarkable precision and depth. Aromatically, it is highly expressive, with notes of honeysuckle, orange blossom, and preserved lemon, deepening into a core of tangerine and apricot. A touch of toasted almond and a subtle flinty note add further complexity. On the palate, this Chardonnay balances intensity with elegance — finely detailed and in perfect focus. Its acidity is vibrant and mouthwatering, lifting the layers of citrus and stone fruit while lending a seamless, silky texture. A long, polished finish echoes with hints of warm honey and citrus zest.

100% Chardonnay aged for 12 months in 90% new French oak barrels: 52% François Frères, 30% Remond, 8% Gauthier, 7% Chassin, and 3% LeGrand.

Vineyard sources: 48% Antica, 18% Stagecoach, 9% Waters Ranch, 20% Toyon, and 5% Hyde

We picked our Chardonnay from high-elevation vineyards in Napa Valley and select blocks in Carneros during the cool of the night. Each whole cluster was meticulously hand sorted at the winery before pressing, and the two press cuts were segregated and aged separately. The juice naturally settled in stainless steel tanks until ready to rack to barrel. Our top lots were racked to new French oak barrels where they completed primary fermentation via native yeasts. After primary fermentation, the lots remained on lees and were stirred up to three times per week and then stirred every other week during malolactic fermentation to create a rich, luscious texture. Selected lots were racked off heavy lees, blended in tank, then returned to barrel for final aging. The wine continued to age on lees in 100% new François Frères oak barrels for 12 months and was bottled unfined and unfiltered. 

Very toasty and bold in aromas, then rich, saturated and deep in flavors. A full-bodied, ripe and concentrated wine that offers smoky oak, toasted walnuts, baked apples and a touch of honey in the lingering finish. So dense and long. A beautiful wine in a dramatic style. Drink now or hold.

The 2023 Chardonnay is absolutely brilliant. Sculpted and vibrant, with tons of class, the 2023 is superb. It offers a striking combination of energy, tension and power, but with a feeling of weightless elegance that is palpable. The 2023 was barrel-fermented and aged in heavy-toast French oak, 90% new, but the oak imprint is really quite minimal.

Despite being barrel-fermented and aged in 90% new French oak—the usual treatment here—Pahlmeyer's 2023 Chardonnay comes across as subtly creamy and custardy on the nose, with primary fruits reminiscent of white peach and pineapple. It's medium- to full-bodied in the mouth and smooth, silky and long on the finish. While Carneros fruit normally accounts for only about 5% of the volume, this wine is 20% Carneros, as winemaker Katie Vogt felt it matched the intensity of the mountain fruit. She also did less bâtonnage than most previous years. Anticipated Maturity: 2025-2030