“Tremendous Value for the Quality”
- 94 pts Wine Enthusiast94 pts WE
- Curated by unrivaled experts
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- Temperature controlled shipping options
- Get credited back if a wine fails to impress
2017 Smith-Madrone Chardonnay Spring Mountain District Napa Valley 750 ml
- Curated by unrivaled experts
- Choose your delivery date
- Temperature controlled shipping options
- Get credited back if a wine fails to impress
The Smith-Madrone Way
A follow-up to one of the fastest sell-outs in Wine Access history, we’re thrilled to share the 2017 Smith-Madrone Chardonnay. It boasts Editors’ Choice honors and a 94-point rating from Wine Enthusiast, which hailed the wine’s “graceful heartiness” and “tremendous value for the quality.”
In most cases, this kind of pedigree would and could merit double the price—but that’s not the Smith-Madrone way. As Decanter wrote in a piece celebrating the winery’s 50-year history, “The Smiths are proudly old school in their winemaking philosophy, the age-worthy, balanced wines they make, the reasonable prices they charge, and the homely way they welcome visitors.”
Showcasing an electric mineral layer, sun-kissed tropical fruit and citrus vibrancy, and rounded notes of butterscotch and hazelnut, this is Napa’s ultimate mountain Chardonnay, and we’ve got it at a shockingly reasonable price.
Smith-Madrone is perched on backbreaking slopes between 1,300 and 2,000 feet of elevation. In the early 1970s, Stu Smith studied the Spring Mountain landscape for a year before deciding to plant a small patch of Riesling on an east-facing slope. He planted Cabernet Sauvignon on flatter stretches facing south and west, and Chardonnay on the cool north-facing hillside.
The red volcanic soils are rocky and rugged, a stressful environment for vines to live in, and that’s exactly how Stu Smith wants it. Smith is famous for dry-farming his vineyard—providing no irrigation whatsoever—a practice that yields small, concentrated Chardonnay grapes showing notes of fresh pineapple, green apple, kiwi, and lime, all with a spectacular degree of purity.
In the cellar, Smith barrel-fermented the 2017 Chardonnay, then aged it in 85% new French oak for ten months. This added fine polish to the chiseled mountain structure, and tantalizing spice to complement the terroir-driven minerality and ripe primary fruit.
This “complex and structured” Chardonnay springs from intuitive winemaking brilliance and one of Napa Valley’s most distinct terroirs. It is a truly authentic and artisanal effort, and by far one of the best values in Napa Valley. Don’t miss it.