2018 Chappellet Grower Collection Chardonnay Calesa Vineyard Petaluma Gap 750 ml

When Chappellet winemaker Phil Titus and his team decided to add single-vineyard Chardonnays to their lineup, they had one mission—harness a site that could match the towering standards set by their iconic Pritchard Hill estate. They tasted their way across Sonoma County, but kept coming back to one vineyard—Calesa.

Calesa might be the Petaluma Gap’s best-kept Chardonnay secret. A tiny hillside site, it’s steep, rocky, wind-battered, and challenging to cultivate—but yields unbelievably concentrated and complex Chardonnay. Titus’s team spent years grooming the vineyard for a limited-edition, block-designate Chardonnay, and in 2017, they released their first vintage.

As Sonoma’s 2018 growing season dawned, you could practically hear fingers drumming nervously as spring took its sweet time warming up. When summer finally showed, it arrived with all the gentle smoothness of a Coltrane solo. No turmoil. No out-of-nowhere heat spikes. But growers all over Sonoma County still held their breath. If the weather could hold out, they’d have a Chardonnay harvest like they’d rarely ever seen.

September delivered. Big time. Foggy mornings, afternoon sunshine—perfection. Chappellet’s Chardonnay rows at Calesa ripened until the month’s final days, developing a flawless balance of ripe fruit and acidity. 

Golden-hued, textured, and complex, this classic California Chardonnay has richness and depth from undergoing full malolactic fermentation, spice from aging in 38% new French oak, and balance from a vibrant acidity. And it earned critical acclaim that put it alongside some of Sonoma County’s most legendary names.