2016 TOR Torchiana Chardonnay Beresini Vineyard Carneros Napa Valley 750 ml

The New Benchmark for Napa Chardonnay

Chardonnay lovers, mark our words: 2016 is a watershed vintage for Napa. And today’s 2016 TOR Torchiana Chardonnay Beresini Vineyard from Carneros Napa Valley is the poster-child of balanced concentration, extraction, and vividness in this benchmark year. It joins Aubert Hyde ($85), Aubert Hudson ($85), sitting alongside Pahlmeyer ($75) as Napa’s equal greatest Chardonnay of 2016, according to Wine Spectator. Little wonder given Tor Kenward spent “a good deal of time with the winemaker” at Romanée-Conti in the 80s. “We essentially make our Chardonnay the exact same way,” he’s told us. 375 cases produced. After most go to Tor’s mailing list, then The French Laundry, Meadowood, Mayacama Country Club, Pebble Beach, and Alexander’s Steakhouse, we come first. 100 cases for Wine Access courtesy of Tor and Tor’s new COO, a very good friend of ours, offered at $65 each, with shipping included on 3.  

We’ve tasted enough as of late to argue that 2016 sits alongside 2013, 2002, 2001, and 1991 as Napa’s greatest vintages of the past 30 years. But don’t just take our word for it, look at the harvest reports on Spectator, or consider Tor Kenward’s own praise of the growing season: “2016 was another drought year that helped trigger a small crop load. Our Chardonnays are very rich wines, very complex from the get-go. Will 2016 be the best vintage of the [last] five for chardonnay? Honestly, for some of the wines I think it has a very good chance of being the alpha vintage. Time will tell.”

If the explosive beauty of Tor’s 2016 Torchiana is any indication, the verdict is already in. Our own Matt Deller MW recently landed at TOR as the new Chief Operating Officer. He dropped by HQ earlier this week with an array of exciting TOR wines he plans to release to Wine Access clients.

“Alas, we only made 15 barrels of this 2016 Torchiana,” Deller said, as he poured the golden-hued elixir into our glasses. “The Chardonnay grapes hail from a single three-acre vineyard that Larry Hyde introduced to Tor in 2008. It belonged to one of his oldest friends in the Napa Valley, Steve Beresini, and was planted three decades ago with cuttings Larry gave Steve. Or as Tor calls it, ‘Hyde Selection Wente Clone.’ Today, it produces a minuscule crop, usually between one to two tons per acre, with clusters half the normal size.”

Tor Kenward’s 25+ years at Beringer cultivated deep wine industry instincts. His vision is matched stride-for-stride by Jeff Ames, the winemaking guru Wine Spectator deemed “one of Napa’s rising stars.” Jeff collaborates with Tor to make magic from Napa’s choicest vines, and now with Matt’s input, the future of TOR is extremely bright—and thanks to our close relationship with Matt, Wine Access clients can expect more opportunities to stock their cellars with these extremely beautiful, highly-allocated wines.  

For the first 5 clients to purchase a full 12-bottle case or more, Wine Access will include two tickets to Tor’s annual BBQ and Member-Only Reception. This is an exciting chance to meet Tor and his team in person, typically reserved for their top clients. The event will be held on August 11th, 2018 in Saint Helena, CA. We only have 10 tickets available, all offered on a first-come, first-serve basis. Event details will be emailed to qualifying buyers.​