2016 Beringer Vineyards Luminus Chardonnay Oak Knoll Napa Valley 750 ml

An energetic, barrel-fermented Chardonnay teeming with flavors of apple, pear, and lemon curd, Luminus earned 92-point endorsements from both James Suckling and Vinous. If you like to have a high-quality—but not bank-breaking—Chardonnay on hand at all times, it’s hard to top this offer on a single-vineyard, Oak Knoll beauty. Long known for their Napa Valley and Private Reserve Chardonnays, Luminus is a part of Beringer’s Distinction Series, which features single-vineyard sites and unique blends.

Beringer, of course, is one of the marquee names of Napa Valley. Founded in 1875 with Jacob Beringer’s purchase of 215 acres in St. Helena, they are California’s longest continuously operating winery. Since then, Beringer has expanded, and enhanced their bona fides as a Napa Valley trailblazer: Theirs was among the first gravity-fed wineries in the state, the first to offer winery tours (imagine Napa without winery tours!), and the first winery to have both a red and a white wine named Wine Spectator’s #1 wine of the year.

The Big Ranch Vineyard is Beringer’s property in the Oak Knoll AVA—much like Carneros, this southerly appellation benefits from the cooling influence of San Pablo Bay, which makes it an ideal area for Burgundy varieties. This Chardonnay is barrel-fermented in 45% new oak, giving it a beautiful balance of acid and energy, plus California’s telltale richness. Full-bodied, yet restrained and elegant, this is a California classic from one of the most storied wineries in the state.