2012 TOR Kenward Family Wines Beresini Vineyard Torchiana Hyde Clone Chardonnay

TOR Kenward Family Wines was founded by Tor Kenward, a senior Beringer Vineyards executive who retired in 2001 from Beringer and started his winery dedicated to Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux blends and Chardonnay. Tor Kenward, the man, is rooted in California and the best of its winemaking. His unusual first name was given to him by his artistic parents, who admired the distinguished California poet Robinson Jeffers, who named his Carmel home Torhouse, meaning “home on a lofty pinnacle.” Kenward himself was mentored by some of the leading lights of 20th century California winemaking, including Robert Mondavi, André Tchelistcheff, and Warren Winiarski. Jeff Ames is today the estate’s winemaker. Ames learned winemaking from Napa winemaking guru Thomas Brown and from stints at Schrader, Maybach and Outpost. Tor Kenward wines win high praise from reviewers. Robert M. Parker Jr. has complimented the estate for its “dazzling…fabulous wines…Tor Kenward is using his vast experience in the wine industry and impressive palate to find exceptional terroirs and produce fascinating wines that merit serious attention.”

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.