Beringer Private Reserve Chardonnay Napa Valley 2020

Beringer Private Reserve Chardonnay, Napa Valley, California, 2020      

100% Chardonnay aged for 9 months in French Oak, with a weekly stirring of the lees and a full malolactic fermentation. 

Rich, vibrant, creamy and expressive, this well-balanced, luscious Chardonnay is classically Californian with aromas of citrus blossom, lemon curd, honeysuckle and crème brûlée, supported by flavors of tropical fruits, like pineapple, mango and tangerine. A delicate touch of well-integrated oak shows notes of brioche and apple pie spice, leading to a pleasing, mouth-watering lengthy finish

Gamble Ranch is Beringer’s northernmost Chardonnay vineyard, the source for Private Reserve, located near the town of Yountville, in the Oakville AVA, where daytime temperatures slowly climb as the cooling morning fog recedes south to San Pablo Bay. This significant diurnal shift allows the grapes to maintain their acidity, which is essential to balancing the ripe, rich flavours as they develop during warm afternoons. Older vines featuring the Wente Clone 4 are dominant in this wine.

"Although not labeled as such, Beringer's Private Reserve Chardonnay has been sourced for decades from the Gamble Ranch in Oakville. Planted around 1976 to Clone 4, the grapes are picked ripe and barrel fermented at relatively warm temperatures to build mouthfeel. The 2020 Chardonnay Private Reserve (along with all the other white varieties) was picked prior to any risk of smoke taint. Marked by scents of mango, guava and pineapple, it doesn't come across as that oaky, despite being barrel fermented and aged in approximately 80% new French oak. It's full-bodied and slightly buttery, with an appealing custardy richness and a long finish."

93/100 points, Joe Czerwinski, WINE ADVOCATE, May 2022