FormanNapa Valley Chardonnay 2023

There are wines we respect, and then there are wines we downright crave. At the mention of this wine, we can already begin to taste it and salivate at the thought. 2023, destined to be one of the classic Napa vintages, produced an exceptionally mineral-driven wine. This was our longest growing season on record in 20 years, so complexity is profound. The Chardonnay grapes were whole cluster pressed and fermented in Burgundy barrels, 20% of which were new. The wine was subsequently left on lees for 7 months with malolactic fermentation inhibited for ultimate freshness. Crisp green apple, sensational minerality, and bruleed pineapple are hallmarks of this bottling.

About Forman Vineyard
In an era of celebrity winemakers and ever-expanding projects, a few truly talented winemakers continue to craft extraordinary wines quietly, outside the spotlight. These are the wines the Napa Valley wine community is always talking about- the ones we’ll look back on as timeless classics that once flew under the radar. Ric Forman is one of those names. He began his winemaking journey in the 1960s while still studying fermentation sciences, working at Stony Hill and Robert Mondavi. He later spent time in Europe learning traditional techniques while helping to develop Sterling Vineyards and, later, Newton. In 1978, driven to realize his own vision, Ric founded Forman Vineyard at the base of Howell Mountain. Today, his wines remain small-batch, elegant, and consistently overdeliver.