2019 Black Cordon Vineyards Reserve Chardonnay

Black Cordon Vineyards’ debut vintage was a 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, though winery founders David and Karen Murphy had been dreaming of winemaking in Napa Valley for 30 years. Though the couple is from Minnesota, they’d been visiting Napa regularly and purchased their first Napa acreage in 2004. Today they own 15 vineyard acres in small sites in Mt. Veeder, the Oak Knoll District, and Howell Mountain. Paull Hobbs made the first vintages, and he remains in charge of winemaking. Black Cordon produces a limited amount of Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. Robert M. Parker Jr. rated a recent Black Cordon reserve cru at 98 pts and called it “absolutely fabulous wine.”

Russian River Valley AVA is named for the river that meanders from Mendocino County in the north until it finally runs into the Pacific Ocean north of San Francisco. The AVA is cool thanks to its proximity to the northern California coast and the river, and grape growers must learn to deal with regular fog. Nevertheless in recent decades the AVA has become one of the best in the state, meaning that its wines often earn excellent reviews and have considerable cachet. The AVA status was awarded in 1983 and today the appellation has 15,000 vineyard acres. Chardonnay is the most widely planted grape though Pinot Noir has also been very successful in recent decades. Russian River Valley Pinot Noir are known for being rich, lush and filled with concentrated fruit and berry flavors. Russian River Pinot Noirs are today considered some of the best domestic Pinot Noirs.

This white variety originated in Burgundy, but is now grown around the world. Its flexibility to thrive in many regions translates to wide flavor profile in the market. Chardonnay is commonly used in making Champagne and sparkling wines.