Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Karia Napa Valley Chardonnay 2018 (California)

Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Karia Napa Valley Chardonnay 2018 (California)"This is an opulent, structured and mineral driven white wine, richly layered and robustly built with weight and ample body. Brioche, honeycomb and baked apple meet a complement of fresh acidity and a lasting note of stone" Wine Enthusiast, Oct 2020 This is a graceful Chardonnay with generous aromas of Asian pear, honeydew melon and lime along with a touch of hazelnut and vanilla oak. Medium bodied, the wine has a silky texture and mid palate leading

"This is an opulent, structured and mineral-driven white wine, richly layered and robustly built with weight and ample body. Brioche, honeycomb and baked apple meet a complement of fresh acidity and a lasting note of stone" Wine Enthusiast, Oct 2020

This is a graceful Chardonnay with generous aromas of Asian pear, honeydew melon and lime along with a touch of hazelnut and vanilla oak. Medium-bodied, the wine has a silky texture and mid palate leading to a soft finish with a touch of creamy oak.

The name KARIA (KAR-ee-ah) is derived from the Greek word meaning graceful, and the 2018 KARIA Chardonnay lives up to its moniker. It shows how grapes from select cool-climate vineyards in southern Napa Valley can be vinified and blended into a seamless integration of fresh-fruit aromas and flavors, crisp acidity and subtle oak spice. Light and graceful: that’s KARIA.

The 2018 season began with productive, late season rains that translated into strong vine growth throughout the spring. Cool temperatures in late spring resulted in an extended bloom period and very good fruit-set. Except for a hot July, the summer was beautiful with temperatures neither too hot nor too cool – a true Goldilocks zone. Cool temperatures returned in September that slowed ripening and extended hang-time, resulting in very even ripening with great flavors at lower sugar levels. We completed the harvest for our Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay – and began picking our red grapes – a good month later than in 2017 (and two weeks later than normal). Overall, this was a year of exceptional fruit quality producing wines with expressive fruit character. The Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay wines have beautiful, bright acidity.

KARIA comes from a tapestry of vineyards in the southern part of Napa Valley. For the 2018 offering, vineyards in the Atlas Peak District, Oak Knoll AVA (including Danika Ranch), Carneros and Coombsville (ARCADIA VINEYARD) contributed fruit for this wine. The vineyards in Carneros (Beckstoffer Las Amigas and Carneros Creek), which are cooled in the mornings and evenings by breezes sweeping north from San Pablo Bay, contribute citrus and mineral notes to the wine. ARCADIA VINEYARD brings perfume and delicate fruit characters while our estate vineyard at Danika Ranch provides bright, juicy apple and pear personality to the blend. The fruit was picked early in the morning to keep it cool and then was whole cluster pressed to preserve the freshness. Oak and malolactic fermentation were used in moderation to accent, rather than overwhelm, the fruit.

Food Pairing: grilled chicken with lemon aioli, grilled salmon with a cucumber, tomato & fresh dill salsa or roast chicken breast stuffed with spinach and feta cheese.