2020 Grgich Hills Estate Chardonnay Estate Grown Napa Valley 750 ml

TOR. Stony Hill. Hyde de Villaine. 

Besides being awesome, these three Chardonnays have one thing in common: They were all topped by the last vintage of Grgich Hills Chardonnay in the eyes of Wine Access members.

"Grgich put California Chardonnay on the map, and this keeps the faith,” one member-review said, and Grgich is our top-rated Napa Valley–labeled Chardonnay by a good margin.

Mike Grgich is the man who crafted the Chateau Montelena Chardonnay that took home the top prize at the 1976 Judgment of Paris tasting. A protége of André Tchelistcheff and Robert Mondavi, his performance in Paris made him a wine-world superstar. 

The year after he bested the Burgundies, he founded Grgich Hills, and the winery’s first vintage of Chardonnay beat 221 others in a blind tasting known as “The Great Chicago Chardonnay Showdown.” That victory earned him the sobriquet “King of Chardonnay,” and Grgich Hills soared to the top of California’s marquee bottles.  

While many famous winemakers have gone corporate with their brands over the years, Grgich Hills has remained family-run. The wines are now crafted by Mike Grgich’s nephew, Ivo Jeramaz.

Jeramaz is fanatical about making Chardonnay that reflects the estate’s organically farmed vineyards in Carneros and American Canyon, in the southern end of Napa Valley. He relies on native yeast for fermentation and ages the wine for ten months in 40% new French oak barrels and large-format foudres. The Chardonnay undergoes no malolactic fermentation, which is why it has a distinct acidic verve that recalls the energy of great white Burgundy. 

This iconic Chardonnay is a reminder that one of Napa Valley’s history-making players is still setting the bar.