2023 Mayacamas Mount Veeder Chardonnay

The 2023 Chardonnay zips out of the glass with vibrant notes of fresh grapefruit, lemon tart, and lime blossoms, leading to hints of wet slate and blanched almonds with a touch of coriander seed. The medium-bodied palate is intense and racy with a silkiness to the texture and a zesty finish.

Today we have an extremely rare offer from a winery whose wines you almost never see discounted below full retail pricing. Thanks to our close relationship with the producer, we were offered a parcel of this extraordinary Chardonnay at a fantastic price, and we're passing those savings directly on to our Insider's Advantage mailing list members! If I were forced to declare a favorite winery in Napa Valley, I think it would have to be Mayacamas. This incredible, historic property, perched high on the slopes of Mount Veeder, has long produced some of the most distinctive, age-worthy, and utterly compelling wines in the world. Originally founded in 1889, the stunning stone winery building is carved into the mountainside some 2,200 feet above the valley floor. With a long tradition of crafting classically styled, elegant yet structured wines, the current winemaking team of Andy Erickson, Braiden Albrecht, and Chris Rush continues to produce truly singular wines that beautifully encapsulate this magical terroir. While Mayacamas is probably best known for its Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines, to this day, my most memorable bottle from the estate was a 1979 Chardonnay, poured from magnum back in 2016. It was an absolutely unforgettable wine! Since the 1960s, Mayacamas Chardonnay has been made in a focused, linear style that ages incredibly well while offering a wonderfully broad drinking window. The low-yielding vines, growing in extremely rocky volcanic soils, produce concentrated, intensely flavorful fruit. From there, the winemaking focuses on preserving freshness, purity, and vibrancy. The wine is aged predominantly in large-format, neutral oak vessels, including 500L and 1,000L foudres. A portion is matured in traditional French oak barriques, but only around 5% new wood is used. The wine also does not undergo malolactic fermentation, allowing it to retain that laser-like focus, tension, and energy that have become hallmarks of Mayacamas Chardonnay. The aromatics are absolutely captivating, with layers of orchard blossom, lemon oil, crushed quince, freshly zested citrus, lemon verbena, wet granite, barley water, and subtle almond paste. The palate is so vibrant and energetic, with beautifully concentrated fruit, crystalline acidity, and minerality in spades. There's a wonderful interplay between the wine's depth and richness and its remarkable precision and freshness. It's drinking beautifully right now, but there's clearly still a long and fascinating journey ahead for this extraordinary Chardonnay. Truly world-class Chardonnay from one of California's most iconic estates, offered at a remarkably reasonable price. Opportunities like this don't come along very often!