2015 Stony Hill Chardonnay Spring Mountain Napa Valley

Stony Hill’s vineyard on Spring Mountain is dry-farmed, and during California’s seemingly interminable recent drought these vines produced very little but very concentrated fruit. The 2015 vintage was the driest of the lot, yielding fruit of great structure and ripeness.

The resulting wine, though, is not rustic or coarse but extremely elegant. It is daffodil yellow with a spring-like fragrance of herbs, flowers, and yellow citrus, plus that petrichor scent of wet stone after rain. Its midsection is dense and savory but lustrous, too, carrying waves of yellow peach, lemon, and ginger. The pitch rises toward the finish, sharpening in notes like tarragon and salt.

This wine is structured enough to age awhile. Pair it now with rich preparations of poultry and fish, savory pastry, or gratins, especially seasoned with citrus, tarragon, and ginger. It will also pair broadly with cheeses, from the young to the well-aged.