Far Niente Chardonnay 2020

Cellar for up to 10 years. Serve chilled.

Far Niente’s colourful history began in 1885 when the estate was founded by gold miner John Benson. Benson hired architect Hamden McIntyre fulfil his dreams of constructing the grand stone winery to which he gave the evocative Italian name meaning “without a care”. The property was then abandoned during the Prohibition era and left derelict for decades until it was bought by Gil and Beth Nickel in 1979.

Today Far Niente is regarded as a benchmark producer of Napa Chardonnay, sourcing their fruit for this bottling from the cool Coombsville region east of the city of Napa. Conditions here are similar to Carneros, with oceanic influence and well-draining gravel and volcanic ash soils. The fruit is harvested by hand and transported to the winery in small bins, with a careful selection of grapes to ensure only the best makes it into this wine.

Fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks before the wine is transferred to new French oak barrels where it is left to age for 7 months on the lees. Peach blossom, ripe tropical fruit, and zingy citrus dominate the flavour profile along with hints of toast and spice from the barrel ageing. The creamy texture and medium body culminate in a long, generous finish with hints of flinty minerality.