Sphaerics if and only if Chardonnay Alexander Valley 2023

If you are a long-time client, then you know we live for the moments when a Chardonnay makes our knees buckle. It is collectively our favorite Napa Valley varietal because its neutral demeanor showcases the winemaking in the bottle. Like seeing a model bare-faced, the varietal acts as a portal into the winemaker's raw talent. As the benchmark for great California Chardonnay continues to rise, our expectations for a great bottle have risen with it. Luckily, industry power couple Laura Jones and Brian Ball operate on a level unbeknownst to most and have debuted a Chardonnay that should have collectors making ample space in their cellars.

Brian and Laura are a couple who could and will do anything they put their minds to. They work together at Skipstone, where Brian is the GM and Laura is the winemaker. Before Skipstone, Laura was the assistant winemaker at Aubert from 2017-2022. It was in that cellar that she learned how to harness Chardonnay's best characteristics and coax her unique expression into the glass. There are few better training grounds to prepare someone to go on to produce a top California Chardonnay.

Sourced from 40-year-old vines planted to a distinctive Wente clone 1800 feet above Alexander Valley, the “if and only if” Chardonnay is a seamless expression of this spectacular site captured through adherence to classical winemaking techniques. Captivating aromas or lemon meringue, white stone fruits, crushed stone, and honeydew. The palate is a saturating elixir of citrus oils, dried white flowers, and saline that finishes impressively long and complex. This wine shows beautifully right out of the bottle, but will cement itself as a memorable wine with 4+ hours of air suggesting that this wine has years of potential in the cellar.