2017 Tether Chardonnay Napa Valley 750 ml

While out to lunch at Mustards Grill, we employed a tried-and-true trick for uncovering great new Napa wine—we asked the legendary bartender Mo, who knows everyone, for a recommendation.

The bottle she pointed us towards, the 2017 Tether Chardonnay, is an absolutely classic Napa Chardonnay that’s priced way less than wines of comparable quality. After Mo slid a glass of this gold-hued beauty toward us, she pointed over our shoulder at a table by the window. “The winemaker, Anna Monticelli, is sitting right over there."

We’re thrilled to pass Mo’s tip on to you today, a tremendous Napa Chardonnay deal that’s amassing loads of critical buzz. Jeb Dunnuck calls Tether “just a screaming deal” that’s “brilliantly done,” laying on a bravo 94 points. Simply put, this is a fantastic Napa value that over-delivers on creamy, tropical-infused lushness with every pour.

Less than 20 minutes after our first sip, we inked the deal right there with Anna on the back on the menu at Mustards. Just 582 cases were made. We bargained for a few to share with you. 

We’ve known Anna for years, and this bottle, opulent yet elegant, has her signature all over it. She’s learned from the best her entire career, working her first harvest at the iconic Saint-Émilion estate Château Cheval Blanc in Bordeaux. She came back to the U.S to take on a post at Seavey Vineyard, then assisted the 100-point mastermind Philippe Melka for four and a half years at Bryant Vineyards.

This ‘17 blew away our expectations. It's a ravishing, butterscotch-rich release with a scintillating acid spine, sumptuously appointed with aromas of beeswax and white flowers, voluptuous and pliant on the palate. It was all we could do not to finish the perfectly chilled bottle right there with our Mongolian pork chop. 

This new Chardonnay project from Anna is a joint effort, as it turns out: Anna teamed up with star distributor Kimberly Jones, whose stable of clients includes Tensley, Kongsgaard, and Amici. They sourced incredible fruit from vines adjoining Carneros, rich in deep, well-draining Fagan clay loam that helps this wine achieve its mouth-filling concentration. Barrel fermentation pushes the envelope on creamy richness, while 17 months in French oak, 50% new, wraps warm, rolling layers of nuttiness, smoke, and vanilla around the juicy fruit core.

This is a rare opportunity to score 94-point Napa Chardonnay from two Valley greats for under $50. Don’t miss out.