2021 Rombauer Vineyards Chardonnay Carneros 750 ml

Rombauer’s Carneros Chardonnay is an iconic Napa cuvée that’s landed on the Wine Spectator Top 100 list multiple times, with the magazine’s critics noting: “Rombauer defines the California Chardonnay style that so many adore.” Our members have agreed, lavishing a stunning 4.6 out of five stars on the last vintage we offered and a 4.5 on this one.

The near-perfect 2021 growing season made this FORTIETH vintage of Rombauer one of the best! A challenge-free spring, a summer without heat spikes, and an extended five-week harvest allowed the Rombauer team to pick the grapes at optimal levels of ripeness and acidity. 

It’s easy to take the dominance of California Chardonnay today for granted, but the grape’s fantastic success here was due in large part to individuals like Koerner Rombauer, who bought his Napa property in 1972. When he built his winery, it served as a nursery for a number of up-and-coming brands that would one day become legacies, including Spottswoode, Duckhorn, Dominus, and Neyers.

Today, this Carneros Chardonnay is as good as it’s ever been. A mix of sustainably farmed estate-grown grapes and some from select growers like the third-generation Sangiacomo family undergo a gentle whole-cluster pressing to preserve the delicate aromatics, while stirring of the lees every two weeks lends a mouthfilling lusciousness. Gorgeous floral notes of acacia and honeysuckle waft alongside golden apple and toasted hazelnut, while the creamy and textured palate is full of fruit, nuts, and spice, all leading into a long finish.

Much of Rombauer’s popularity was built on the back of this Carneros bottling. It’s a California classic that more than lives up to the standards set by its predecessors.