2018 Courtney Benham Chardonnay Napa Valley 750 ml

Our conversation with winemaker and winery owner Courtney Benham was short and to the point, which was how we wanted it: We’d landed a bargain so good on this 94-point Chardonnay from Napa’s most famous grower—$20 a bottle—that we didn’t want to give Courtney a chance to change his mind.

When those are the (rather extraordinary) terms, we’re eager to sign on the dotted line rather than draw it out, especially for a Chardonnay that was a total knockout at our judging panel. Straw-gold with glinting silver streaks, wonderfully buoyant and fresh, this 2018 is effortless drinking pleasure, and it made immediate fans out of everyone at the table.

If you’re so inclined, you can spend a half-hour picking out the precise notes of Mandarin orange peel, Meyer lemon chiffon, fresh cream, and hint of ginger. Or you can guzzle it down all too easily over conversation with a round of Brillat-Savarin triple-cream cheese and a baguette. One thing’s for sure: At $20, this is a stellar, weighty-textured, value-packed wine made from some of the greatest Chardonnay fruit in Napa.

We recommend you do like we did: Move this richly polished, voluminous, honeysuckle-kissed Carneros Chardonnay to the top of your list.

The 94-point score is one of the big hints that the price tag tells a slightly misleading story here. The Chardonnay fruit, ripe and round, hails from a heritage grower whose grapes can fetch some of the highest prices in Napa. The name alone—which we can’t share—carries 100-point winemaker-like weight, and compels collectors to purchase vineyard designates on sight.

Courtney Benham runs the hit estate Angeline and revived the historic Martin Ray property, and when we first spoke to him about his eponymous 2018 Chardonnay, it was completely spoken for. But after our members made extremely fast work of a few Martin Ray offers, we figured it couldn’t hurt to ask one more time… and we were right. He rerouted an allocation our way—a little favor to reward our members—and we’re thrilled to be working with him again, especially since it means putting a stellar Chardonnay value into your hands.

The grapes are grown in well-draining soils close to the San Pablo Bay, whose cool breezes foster slow ripening, and the firm acids that keep the creamy fruit in check. Ample sun exposure on hillsides brings out every nuance in the grapes, from jasmine to white peach.

With the name of the source on the bottle, you’d be paying triple the price for the quality James Suckling recognized in his 94-point review. But thanks to Courtney Benham and his expert way with Chardonnay, you can now take advantage of a Napa insider deal no matter where you live.