1996 Von Strasser Chardonnay

Von Strasser Winery was founded in 1990 by Rudy von Strasser and his wife Rita. A decade earlier he’d been a college graduate determined to start a hard cider business in New England. With an agricultural degree under his belt and a thesis written on hard cider production, Rudy von Strasser in the early 1980s moved from New Hampshire to California where he figured a little time working in the wine industry might be helpful for his future in hard cider. But a year spent at Robert Mondavi changed his mind. He refocused his interest to winemaking, earned a degree from the UC Davis Enology program and became an intern at Chateau Lafite-Rothschild. He was winemaker at Trefethen and Newton before he and Rita found property of their own in the Diamond Mountain district. Von Strasser’s single-vineyards Cabernet Sauvignons have won numerous awards. In 2017 the Von Strassers bought Lava Vine Winery to add an “alternative varietal” portfolio to their offerings.

Napa Valley AVA is the most famous winemaking region in the United States and one of the most prestigious in the world. With nearly 43,000 acres of vineyards and more than 300 wineries, it is the heart of fine wine production in the United States. Winemaking started in Napa in 1838 when George C. Yount planted grapes and began producing wine commercially. Other winemaking pioneers followed in the late 19th century, including the founders of Charles Krug, Schramsberg, Inglenook and Beaulieu Vineyards. An infestation of phylloxera, an insect that attacks vine roots, and the onset of Prohibition nearly wiped out the nascent Napa wine industry in the early 20th century. But by the late 1950s and early 1960s Robert Mondavi and other visionaries were producing quality wines easily distinguishable from the mass-produced jug wines made in California’s Central Valley. Napa Valley’s AVA was established in 1983, and today there are 16 sub-appellations within the Napa Valley AVA. Many grapes grow well in Napa’s Mediterranean climate, but the region is best known for Cabernet Sauvignon. Chardonnay is also very successfully cultivated, and about 30% of the AVA’s acreage is planted to white grapes, with the majority of those grapes being Chardonnay,

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.