2019 Etude Chardonnay Grace Benoist Ranch Vineyard Carneros Sonoma County 750 ml

Etude is one of the wineries that helped build Carneros into what it is today: one of California’s best sites for Burgundian varieties, a region where top bottlings can approach—and even surpass—triple-digit prices. 

None of Napa’s superstar sites boasts the distinctive terroir of Etude’s Grace Benoist Ranch Vineyard. Tucked in the northwest corner of the AVA, cooled by the Pacific but sitting at the foot of the mountains, the site has uplifted and well-drained volcanic soils, resulting in small and compact vines that produce massively flavorful, mineral-laden grapes. 

Etude’s founder, Tony Soter, spent nearly two decades looking for this spot. One of the most decorated winemakers in California history, Soter founded Etude in 1982 while working as a full-time consultant for storied Napa estates like Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, Chappellet, Dalla Valle, Shafer, and Araujo. Despite his golden touch with Cabernet Sauvignon, Burgundian varieties were always his end game—but he didn’t rush to lay down roots, developing Grace Benoist Ranch in 2000, 18 years after Etude’s founding. 

The expressive 2019 Chardonnay translates this carefully chosen parcel in all its nuance, proving that the search was absolutely worth the wait. Winemaker John Priest blocks malolactic fermentation during vinification to allow his wines’ fruit purity and terroir-driven brilliance to stand front and center. 

Wreathed in notes of white flowers and mint, the wine delivers sun-kissed California fruit flavors that leap from the glass with mouthwatering vibrancy. Showing gorgeous complexity and concentration, the wine’s notes of lemon peel, white peach, Gala apple, and a spectacular wet-stone minerality interplay beautifully with a crisp acidity.

The 2019 Grace Benoist Ranch Chardonnay can take center stage in any lineup of California Chardonnays—and on any dinner table.