A brand new addition to the list, this is an absolutely delicious and great value Californian Chardonnay – full of apples and pears, white fruit and limes, a little exotic with some white peach and banana, intense in flavour but soft and elegant in texture with a lovely freshness and a persistent finish.
 
Starmont Vineyards craft wines from the California Coast, where a cool marine influence gives way to a unique freshness and brightness. Winemaker, Jeff Crawford, crafts single-varietal wines made in a classic style to best express their sense of place and distinct character. Gentle winemaking and minimal new oak usage contribute to the elegance for which the Starmont wines are known. Pursuing freshness and refined wine character, a hallmark of Starmont wines, Jeff Crawford has tapped some of the top cool climate regions in the North and Central Coast AVAs of California. Grapes are sourced from select sites including Monterey, Santa Barbara, Sonoma and Napa counties to provide a backbone of acidity with generous fruit intensity and impressive precision.
 
Starmont Chardonnay is crafted to highlight place over heavy winemaking, with modest use of new oak so the fruit and coastal Carneros character stay front and centre. Just over a third of the blend comes from the historic Stanly Ranch, with the rest sourced from other Carneros vineyards, giving a balance of concentration, freshness, and texture.

Region/Sub-Region: Carneros AVA, Napa Valley (North Coast)

• 56% Mendocino County
• 28% Monterey County
• 16% Napa County

 
Alcohol: 14%
 
Fermentation: 48% barrel-fermented, 52% stainless steel; malolactic fermentation mostly blocked to preserve freshness.
 
Ageing: 10 months in oak – about 85% French and 15% American – with roughly 25% new barrels.
 
Ageing Potential: Up to 10 years from vintage.

• On order - stock will be ready in 2-3 weeks.