2020 Teeter-Totter Chardonnay Napa Valley 750 ml

Benoit Touquette’s wines from Fait-Main, Teeter-Totter, Kata, and Hartwell are nothing short of world-class—a fact well known to Wine Access members. All of Touquette’s wines show a clear distinction in the glass that is his alone, including the tiny-production 2020 Teeter-Totter Chardonnay, normally reserved for the lucky few on his mailing list. 

Touquette gleaned inspiration for this Chardonnay from working alongside John Kongsgaard, producer of “The Judge,” which is widely considered California’s greatest Chardonnay, often selling for $800+! 

Benoit has arrived at an almost unimaginable pinnacle as a Napa winemaker—he’s the author of more than TEN 100-point wines in the last six vintages. He first worked alongside Andy Erickson, sharing responsibilities in the famed cellars of Screaming Eagle, Dalla Valle, Arietta, and Ovid. What he learned during his stints alongside Napa’s greatest winemakers has informed his work since he struck out on his own. 

“When I set out to make my own wine, and eventually a Chardonnay, my goal was simple,” he told us. “I’m looking for something pure and elegant that can defy time and gravity.”

Benoit doesn't take any of his success for granted because it didn’t happen by accident, or come with ease. When he left Bordeaux to move to Napa Valley, he came prepared to do whatever it took to make a name for himself—and he’s never missed a single day of harvest. 

All of that makes him our kind of guy, a hardworking grape whisperer who’s earned every stellar score his wines have garnered. We’re grateful for Benoit’s ethic, and for his generosity in setting aside these cases, which a number of sommeliers would have been more than happy to get their hands on.