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Melbourne-raised Senior Director of Winemaking Richie Allen first began making this wine in 2004. ‘This is what we’re known for – this is what we do best,’ says Allen, who has been with the winery since that same year. The 2024 vintage, tasted in mid-December 2024, is bright, tightly coiled, and tense at present, but Richie assures me that within a few months it will evolve into the Rombauer style we all know and love. That’s because this is a low-sulphite, minimally handled wine: no sulphur is added until a small dose for stabilisation at bottling. As a result, the wine tends to stay wound up for the first six months, before unfurling into the richer, more tropical profile with toasty oak that defines the house style. Ripe fruit comes through clearly, with yellow stone fruit, Meyer lemon citrus, mango, and a creamy mid-palate accented by spice and vanilla from the oak. Bright acidity keeps everything lifted, and during my tasting the wine continued to build in the glass, gaining richness and creaminess with air. The fruit for this Chardonnay comes from Napa and Sonoma Carneros. It is barrel-fermented and aged for nine months in a mix of American and French oak, one-third of which is new. (JC)

Stone fruits, honeysuckle, blanched almonds, and white flowers define the 2022 Chardonnay Beckstoffer Carneros Lake Vineyard, with comes from a great site in Carneros and was raised in 70% new barrels. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it shows impressive concentration and a layered style that has tons to love. Enjoy this beauty over the coming 4-6 years.

Bid on this 3-bottle lot of 2016 Aubert "Hudson Vineyard" Carneros Chardonnay (99JD, (96-98RP), 97VN, 95WS). Jeb Dunnuck: "Borderline perfection, the 2016 Chardonnay Hudson Vineyard has a liqueur of rocks-like minerality as well as more Burgundian candied lemon, white flowers, and oyster shell characteristics. Brought up in 80% new French oak, it has a deep, rich, concentrated profile, vibrant acidity, and remarkable purity." (06/2018)

This wine is truly excellent, showing a mineral-edged nose with pure energy and tension. Aromas of struck match, citrus blossoms, crushed stones and salted nuts. The palate is taut, with no hard edges and driving acidity that keeps you salivating for minutes. Closing in on perfection. Drink or hold.

Bid on this 2-bottle lot of 2017 Aubert "Hudson Vineyard" Carneros Chardonnay ((97-98JS), 98RP, 96VN, 94WS). Wine Advocate: "Coming from Hudson selection, Old Wente clone vines that over 20 years old anComing from Hudson selection, Old Wente clone vines that over 20 years old and planted on the Napa side of Carneros, the 2017 Chardonnay Hudson features super intense notes of freshly squeezed lemon, lime zest, warm apricots and honeydew melon with hints of hay, paraffin wax and crushed nuts plus a waft of cinnamon toast. The full-bodied palate is very tightly wound with electric tension and has loads of citrusy accents coming through on the very, very long finish. (LPB)" (10/2019)

Bid on this bottle of 2012 Aubert "Larry Hyde & Sons Vineyard" Carneros Chardonnay ((96-98RP), 94VN, 92WS). Wine Advocate: "The 2012 Chardonnay Larry Hyde & Sons (1, 000 cases) comes from a 4-acre vineyard that produces nearly 1, 000 cases. The straw color reveals a greenish hue, and the wine bursts from the glass with notes of exotic fruits, wet stones, limes and white peaches. It has a kinship to a great Coche-Dury Corton-Charlemagne. (RP)" (12/2013)

So well layered, delicious and vibrant, combining a rich texture with full, ripe fruit flavors and wonderful accents of lemon curd, flint and baking spices. A great wine from a great vineyard in an outstanding vintage. While generous and full-flavored, it also retains great balance, minerality and a slight sense of restraint in the vivid acidity. Fresh and compelling. Drinkable now and best from 2030. (JG)

Flinty with lightly dried apple and hints of white blossom and minerals. Medium to full body that sneaks up on your palate, starting off minerally and then finishes with a round texture and the richness of light cream and yoghurt. Lovely layers here. No malolactic. Drink now or hold.

Reminding me of a great Meursault with its richer nose of honeyed stone fruits, toasted bread, blanched almond, and hints of crushed stone, the 2023 Chardonnay offers a pure, layered, ripe, yet vibrant style. Based on 100% Chardonnay from the Ladybug, Little Bit, and Seashell vineyards and aged on lees for 22 months in 70% new French oak, it's rich and medium to full-bodied with terrific depth and complexity. There are roughly 1,511 cases produced, and it should age gracefully for a decade. Drink 2025-2035.

This has the classic richness and depth of this noted vineyard, braced by vivid acidity for an elegant, soft and silky feel. It’s difficult to imagine a better California chardonnay, as it combines great balance and freshness with creaminess, breadth, and length in the finish. Sliced pears, cream, and hints of mangoes, green apples, butter, and lemon curd. Drink now or hold. (JG)

Carneros straddles southern Napa and Sonoma counties and became an American Viticultural Area in 1983, defined by geography and climate rather than political boundaries. Part of Far Niente Wine Estates, Post & Beam presents this 2023 California Chardonnay under its contemporary, farmhouse-inspired label.

Bid on this 4-bottle tasting lot; including 2-bottles of 2013 Patz & Hall "Jenkins Ranch Vineyard" Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir (94WE, 93RP, 91VN, 91WS) and 2-bottles of 2017 Patz & Hall "Moses Hall Vineyard" Carneros Pinot Noir. Of the 2013 Patz & Hall "Jenkins Ranch Vineyard" Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, Wine Enthusiast writes: " *Editors' Choice* This wine comes from a vineyard planted in the early 2000s in the Sebastopol Hills by Charlie Chenoweth for the Jenkins family, a country music trio consisting of Nancy Jenkins and her two daughters. It is inviting and seductive in black cherry and baking spices. Tightly wound, it has nuance and a lingering afterthought of savory pepper and meat. (VB)" (12/2015)

Bid on this 7-bottle lot of 2023 Patz & Hall "Hyde Vineyard" Carneros Chardonnay.

Bid on this 2-bottle lot of 2009 Kistler "Hudson Vineyard" Carneros Chardonnay (96RP, 94ST, 94WS). Wine Advocate: "The 2009 Chardonnay Hudson Vineyard bursts onto the palate with waves of fruit. This is yet another dazzling wine from Kistler endowed with tremendous depth, detail and classiness. Smoke, crushed rocks and apricots are woven into the fabric of this seamless showstopper. The creamy, expansive finish makes it hard to resist a second taste. (AG) 96+" (02/2012)

The 2024 Chardonnay Overline, tasted from tank just prior to bottling, shares remarkable similarities with the 2023, but with everything dialed up. It's another wine that balances inner tension with plush, unctuous textures and unreal density. The depth of the minerality and tactile zip of the acids here join together in effortless harmony. I can't wait to taste this from bottle.

Exciting aromas of gingerbread, grapefruit, caraway, pear skins and crushed almonds. Hints of salted caramel and pie crust. Medium-bodied, with beautifully integrated bubbles and delicious spicy pastry notes. Long and flavorful.

Founded by the Taittinger family in 1987, Domaine Carneros is a landmark sparkling-wine estate in California’s Carneros region. This 2022 Brut is made from Chardonnay, connecting the estate’s Champagne heritage with fruit grown in one of California’s best-established areas for traditional-method sparkling wine.

Bright aromas of fresh raspberries, violets, graphite and rose petals. The palate is medium-bodied with glossy tannins and balanced acidity, giving flavors of dried strawberries, cassia bark, citrus peel and dried herbs. Very well constructed, with underlying tension. Drink or hold.

Bid on this 4-bottle lot of 2019 Redmon Carneros Chardonnay.

Bid on this 4-bottle lot of 2018 Redmon Carneros Chardonnay.

Bid on this 3-bottle lot of 2016 Redmon Carneros Chardonnay.

Bid on this 2-bottle lot of 2016 Aubert "Larry Hyde and Sons" Carneros Chardonnay (97JD, (95-97RP), 97VN, 96WS). Vinous: "The 2016 Chardonnay Larry Hyde and Sons is so delicate, precise and nuanced. In 2016, the Hyde leans more towards the citrus end of the spectrum. Candied lemon peel and lifted floral notes are some of the signatures in this striking, beautifully delineated Chardonnay. In most vintages, Hyde tends to give a decidedly forward style of Chardonnay. Mark Aubert's 2016 is all finesse. (AG)" (04/2018)

Melbourne-raised Senior Director of Winemaking Richie Allen first began making this wine in 2004. ‘This is what we’re known for – this is what we do best,’ says Allen, who has been with the winery since that same year. The 2024 vintage, tasted in mid-December 2024, is bright, tightly coiled, and tense at present, but Richie assures me that within a few months it will evolve into the Rombauer style we all know and love. That’s because this is a low-sulphite, minimally handled wine: no sulphur is added until a small dose for stabilisation at bottling. As a result, the wine tends to stay wound up for the first six months, before unfurling into the richer, more tropical profile with toasty oak that defines the house style. Ripe fruit comes through clearly, with yellow stone fruit, Meyer lemon citrus, mango, and a creamy mid-palate accented by spice and vanilla from the oak. Bright acidity keeps everything lifted, and during my tasting the wine continued to build in the glass, gaining richness and creaminess with air. The fruit for this Chardonnay comes from Napa and Sonoma Carneros. It is barrel-fermented and aged for nine months in a mix of American and French oak, one-third of which is new. (JC)

Dark, deep and brooding, this muscular but agile wine is rich in aromas of cloves, cedar, cinnamon and cooked cherries before blueberries, vanilla and black currants flood the palate. Firm but soothing tannins are seamlessly integrated with the complex fruit and spice elements. Best from 2027–2033.

This has a lovely core of fruit with aromas of nectarines, grilled lemons and flint. The midweight, textural palate shows balanced acidity, finishing with a slight phenolic grip. Moving out of the cooler 2023 bottling, this is far more generous and open. Drink or hold.

Carneros spans both Napa and Sonoma counties, with nearby San Pablo Bay helping moderate its vineyard climate. Rombauer’s 2025 Carneros Chardonnay comes from this bay-influenced California appellation and is presented in a 1.5-liter magnum, equivalent to two standard 750ml bottles.

Carneros straddles the southern reaches of Napa and Sonoma counties, where nearby San Pablo Bay helps moderate vineyard temperatures. Frank Family Vineyards, founded in 1992 by Rich Frank, explores this bay-influenced growing region with its 2024 Chardonnay, connecting a Napa Valley producer with one of California’s established homes for the grape.

The 2021 Pinot Noir Magic Moments Hyde Vineyard comes from vines planted in 1979, and the wine was matured for 17 months in 80% new French oak. It takes you on an aromatic journey, beginning with raspberry, strawberry and pomegranate and then opening to leather, tobacco, mixed tea leaves, underbrush, aniseed and bitters. The medium-bodied palate features concentrated, youthfully coiled flavors. It's light on its feet with finely chalky tannins and fireworks of fresh acidity, and it has a very long, spicy finish. This pairs power and latency and will be long lived in the cellar. 113 cases were made. (EB)

Bid on this 4-bottle lot of 2014 Kistler "Hyde Vineyard" Carneros Chardonnay (94RP, 93VN, 93WS). Wine Advocate: "Wine Advocate: "The 2014 Chardonnay Hyde Vineyard opens with notes of musk melon, lemon curd and baked peaches with hints of cedar, chalk dust and wet pebbles. Medium to full-bodied, it fills the palate with ripe, expressive melon and mineral characters, finishing long and pleasantly oily. Kistler Vineyards remains one of the absolute benchmark producers of great Sonoma Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, sitting right up there with the highest quality examples of these grapes from throughout the world... All the vineyard-designate Chardonnays are produced in precisely the same manner, meaning the differences between them are almost exclusively down to the differences in terroir. And as readers will see from my notes, the differences are striking. (LPB)" (02/2017)

Bid on this 5-bottle lot of 2015 Redmon Carneros Chardonnay.

A Rombauer look-a-like? If you're after a rich, old-school, oaky - buttery Chardonnay, look no further. Very well done for the style.

Birichino was founded in Santa Cruz in 2008 by longtime wine professionals Alex Krause and John Locke. Their 2024 Mahoney Ranch Vermentino comes from Los Carneros, the California growing area spanning southern Napa and Sonoma counties near San Pablo Bay.

A gateway into the HDV lineup. Aromas of grilled lemons, salted nuts and wet stones. The palate is taut and precise, with underlying power and grace. Exceptional. Drink or hold.

Bid on this 2-bottle lot of 2003 Paul Hobbs "Hyde Vineyard" Carneros Cabernet Sauvignon (93RP, 93WS, 91VN). Wine Advocate: "From the cool Carneros region, Hobbs fashioned a sensational 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Hyde Vineyard. Its inky/purple color is accompanied by sweet aromas of graphite interwoven with soil, black currant, and pepper scents. With full body, impressive delineation, and a long, concentrated, deep finish, this 2003 Cabernet will be at its finest between 2007-2020. (RP)" (12/2005)

Bid on this 8-bottle tasting lot; including 1-bottle of 1994 Tualatin "Estate" Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, 1-bottle of 2001 Cave des Onze Torrette Valle d'Aosta Pinot Noir, 1-bottle of 2006 Saintsbury Carneros Pinot Noir, 1-bottle of 2007 Flowers "Andreen-Gale" Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, 1-bottle of 2008 Bouchaine "Estate" Carneros Pinot Noir, 1-bottle of 2012 Waxwing "Spring Hill Vineyard" Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, 1-bottle of 2013 Sterling Vineyards "Vintner's Collection" Central Coast Pinot Noir, and 1-bottle of 2020 Stoller Estate Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. Of the 2006 Saintsbury Carneros Pinot Noir, A gorgeous Carneros Pinot from sustainbly grown vines (Saintsbury is a member of the Napa Green Coalition) that exemplifies the balance and grace of this incredible appellation. Crimson-colored with acids and tannins in harmony and nicely developed fruit flavors, the Saintsbury is a noteworthy pinot noir that won't break the bank.

Founded in 2007 by Fred Cline, Jacuzzi Family Vineyards was created to honor his grandfather, Valeriano Jacuzzi, a member of the Italian immigrant family best known for its engineering innovations and later for the Jacuzzi name itself. The winery’s Tuscan-inspired estate in Sonoma’s Carneros district reflects the family’s roots in Casarsa, Italy, while celebrating a viticultural legacy that dates back to Valeriano’s grape growing and home winemaking in Northern California during the 1930s. Jacuzzi focuses on Italian varieties that remain relatively uncommon in California, including Arneis, Barbera, Sangiovese, Primitivo, and Teroldego. Fruit is sourced from estate vineyards and select Sonoma County sites, with an emphasis on matching varieties to suitable climates and soils. The winery’s portfolio highlights the diversity of Italian grapes while expressing Sonoma’s growing conditions, blending Old World inspiration with California viticulture.

Founded in Sonoma in 1904 by Italian immigrant Samuele Sebastiani, Sebastiani has deep roots in California wine. This 2014 Robert’s Vineyard Pinot Noir comes from Carneros, an appellation spanning southern Napa and Sonoma counties along San Pablo Bay.

A ripe and relaxed wine that's luxurious in texture and beautifully rich in fruit and oak spices. Full-bodied and lush in mouthfeel, offering lime zest, poached pear and subtle butter and creme brulee flavors that last through a lingering finish. (JG)