At the same table as the 1999 Gilbert Picq Chablis, this 2015 Napa Chardonnay provides a good comparison and contrast. Whereas the Chablis is loaded with limestone minerality, the Napa Chardonnay offers up notes of lime fruit, related mostly to barrel fermentation and aging in French oak barrels. Both are excellent meal-worthy wines.Deep yellow, lighter than the Chablis but not by much considering the difference in age. Actually, the two wines have a surprisingly similar degree of maturity. Lime and buttered apples. Riper than the Chablis but a good level of natural acidity. Deep fruit that keeps you coming back for more.
Fruit for this wine comes from some of the warmer areas of Napa blended with a small amount of Carneros grapes. Although the labels are similar, the Napa Chardonnay is to be distinguished from the Sterling Vintners Choice Chardonnay, produced from grapes from the cooler Central Valley around Monterey. The Vintners Choice sells for about $12, roughly half that asked for the Napa bottling.
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