26 May Please The Palate Wine of the Week: Trefethen 2018 Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley Chardonnay

I never need an excuse to drink a beautiful Chardonnay. After all, I believe in the phrase “A-B-C – Always Bring Chardonnay” and am proud to call myself #chardcore. Chardonnay is an easy grape to work with and is a neutral grape variety in both flavor and aroma. It is a grape that is adaptable to many environments and can be grown everywhere. And on the Thursday before Memorial Day each year, we celebrate Chardonnay Day, a worldwide celebration of the chardonnay grape variety, intended to give chardonnay lovers around the globe a platform to express their passion for the grape. And I am celebrating Chardonnay with the Trefethen 2018 Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley Chardonnay Chardonnay is a grape that expresses where it is from and will also be influenced by the fermentation and aging choices a winemaker makes. At Trefethen, Chardonnay is the grape that put them on the international map. The Trefethen family has been in the Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley for three generations. They work exclusively with their own estate fruit and take a sustainable approach to running the estate. Looking at the estate as an integrated vineyard and winery ecosystem, the Trefethen family is looking forward to future generations, while also producing the best quality fruit. The Chardonnay is grown in the Main Ranch vineyard that surrounds the historic winery. Located in the heart of the Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley, the Main Ranch consists of 400 acres of vines planted in 49 distinct blocks with nine different varieties. Cool evenings and foggy mornings in the Oak Knoll District make it easy to preserve the freshness and produce wines with bright acidity. For the 2018 Chardonnay, the grapes were picked and 61% were barrel fermented, the remainder fermented in stainless steel. Only 4% of the juice underwent malolactic fermentation. The wine was then aged in barrels, of with 13% were new, for nine months. The Chardonnay is very fresh with notes of lemon, lime, white peach, and green apple. Super bright acidity tickles the tongue but the wine has a lovely texture to balance the acidity. Cheers to Chardonnay!