2015 Belle Radici Reserve Chardonnay Napa Valley 750 ml

The 2015 Belle Radici Chardonnay was our best-selling white wine of 2019—as the year went on, that title got harder to claim, but to this day no white wine has garnered more attention than Belle Radici’s unassuming label. Behind it is liquid gold that drinks like a dream, has sold over 3,000 bottles, and topped the “bestseller” records set by the most highly-rated bottlings and exclusive Burgundies we offer. 

Belle Radici, which we discovered brown-bag style in the back of a dark bar, bests them all.

If Belle Radici has become your weeknight pour—and at $22 it’s priced to be—now is your chance to stock up on this opulent, Napa Reserve Chardonnay. If Belle Radici is a new name, consider this your invitation to discover the best bang-for-your-buck we’ve found in Napa in over a year. Better yet, this golden-hued favorite is in-stock and ready to ship now.

Read on for the full, mysterious story of this golden Napa Valley white.

We recently met up with one of our distributor buddies at Cadet, our favorite wine bar in downtown Napa. Behind the bar they were spinning Hall & Oates on vinyl. We were at a corner table with a bottle of 2015 Fantesca Chardonnay between us, and life was pretty good. 

Then our buddy, we’ll call him Tom for the sake of anonymity, opened a leather carrier revealing a bottle of the 2015 Belle Radici Reserve Chardonnay. “I want you to try this,” he said. We had no idea we were about to hit the jackpot on one of the Valley’s great under-the-radar Chardonnays. 

In fresh glasses, Tom poured four ounces of beautiful lemon-hued Chardonnay. Aromas of fresh-cut melon, apple, and papaya burst from the glass—there was no need to wait on this one. On entry, the palate was juicy and supple, with seamlessly integrated oak and soft, yet bright acidity. 

Next to the Fantesca (on the list at Cadet for $160) it stood up like a champ. We loved it, but we had a feeling the price would be steep. A Reserve Chardonnay like this, we guessed, would easily cost $50 or more. But Tom had an in. “I know the supplier and it’s the last of the vintage,” Tom said, “so I can offer it for an exclusive price.” 

Crafted by Ryan Hill and Tim Martin—longstanding Napa vintners whose projects (The Hill Family Estate, plus Martin’s Tusk and Immortal brands) have been hailed time and time again by Wine Advocate—the 2015 Belle Radici Reserve Chardonnay was grown from a spectacular site in the heart of the Valley and spent 10 months aging in 45% new French oak. Showing the tremendous pedigree of the 2015 vintage, the Reserve offers a well-rounded experience: depth matched with energy, fresh fruit, supple texture, and immediate enjoyment. 

Back at Cadet, we finished up the 2015 Belle Radici just as the bartender/DJ slapped some Bowie on the turntable. With the papaya and vanilla bean finish lingering on our palates, “Let’s Dance” carried us out of the bar in a state of sheer bliss. We highly recommend opening a bottle of the 2015 Reserve Chardonnay in tandem with your favorite album—preferably on vinyl. It may result in your greatest under-$25 wine-drinking experience of this year. Don’t thank us, thank Tom.