2020 Hoopes Family Vineyard Chardonnay Napa Valley 750 ml

To find a new winemaker for her family-run Oakville winery, Lindsay Hoopes put out what she called the “Bat Signal.”

In the tight-knit Napa Valley wine community, that didn’t take much. Lindsay told us that she mentioned to a few friends that she was looking, then came up with a wishlist of winemakers she’d love to have.

She didn’t have to wait long. The stampede to her door was swift, and soon she’d nabbed one of the most renowned winemakers in the Valley: Aaron Pott.

Trained by Michel Rolland, Pott conquered Bordeaux like few Americans ever have, working at St.-Émilion Grand Cru Classé estates Troplong Mondot and La Tour Figeac. He also spent time at Rutherford icon Quintessa before starting his personal label. Pott is also a white-wine master—he was trained by John Konsgsgaard at Newton—which is why we’re so thrilled to bring you the first Hoopes wine he made: the 2020 Chardonnay Napa Valley.

Pott fermented and aged the Chardonnay in a mixture of clay amphorae, stainless steel, and used oak barrels, which means it hits the sweet spot between unoaked liveliness and Napa Valley richness. The amphorae, especially, don’t impart flavor like oak does but they do allow oxygen passage, and their shape makes them more or less self-stirring, which helps the wine gets its richness.

Hoopes' Chardonnay comes from three stellar sites: their own Genny’s Vineyard in Carneros, their foggy Yountville plot, and a Mount Veeder site owned by another winemaking family that Lindsay has gotten close with—Tuscany’s legendary Antinoris.

A superstar winemaker’s first vintage at the helm of one of our favorite producers, it’s a a flat-out statement from Hoopes—and it far overdelivers for the price.