2017 Wightman Cellars Chardonnay Napa Valley 750 ml

This 2017 Wightman Napa Chardonnay is as golden, rich, and expertly balanced as it was in its last vintage under the name Orrin Sage—when Wine Access members made it one of our top-selling Chardonnays of the year. Big, bold, and delicious, it was its very popularity that made that wine such a force to contend with. So much so that it scared the heavyweight brands, who took action to ensure it had to re-brand. 

With all the flavor generosity of Grgich’s Napa Chardonnay at half the price, maybe they should be scared. And since we were among the first few to know of Wightman’s true heritage, we nabbed the exclusive. Released at $49, we have this at $30. With this kind of quality-to-price ratio, we frankly didn’t care what this 2017 Chardonnay was called, so long as we could call it ours. 

The story of Wightman isn’t so much about winemaker Justin Harmon (best known for his 97-98pt Argot wines) as it is about how good his Chardonnay tastes—a generous dose of freshly picked golden apple, pineapple upside-down cake, and butterscotch aromas that just won’t quit. Beautifully textured and surprisingly elegant on the palate, tropical fruit notes carry a kiss of caramel and marzipan before finishing with a dry, stunning finish. 

After sharpening his winemaking skills for years under the multiple 100-point winemaker Russell Bevan, Justin knows a thing or two about capturing California character to thrilling effect. 

Wine Access members might remember this Chardonnay under its former name, Orrin Sage, which our man Eduardo Dingler—international wine judge, saké expert, and writer for Decanter—discovered while on a scuba-diving trip to Hawaii. After one sip at Maui’s Monkeypod restaurant, Eduardo was on his smartphone fishing for a contact at the winery. From sip to allocation, the appetizers hadn’t even arrived.

Fast-forward to the Mainland, where another Napa power label (that sounds an awful lot like Orrin Sage) had caught wind of this Chardonnay’s flavor generosity and Montrachet-like theatricality—and its skyrocketing popularity. We won’t bore you with the details that followed, but the Cliff’s Notes version ends with Justin Harmon’s scene-stealing Chardonnay now going by the name of Wightman.

Let’s just put it this way—no one ever cares what your name is unless you’re making waves. And based on how quickly this sold out last time, Justin made a minor Chardonnay tsunami. 

Go ahead and call this bottle what it is—your next go-to Chardonnay.