Chappellet and Rivers-Marie Chardonnay at Vintij Grand Blvd

Chappellet and Rivers-Marie Chardonnay at Vintij Grand Blvd 

Traveling to Destin, FL, visiting The Cove, our vacation rental home, we were joined by fellow Pour Boy Bill C, and Beth for a get away get-together. We introduced them to several of our favorite food and wine venues including lunch at Vin’Tij, Grand Blvd Destin. 

We’ve featured Vin’Tij often in these pages, in blogposts such as these - 

Wine tasting at Vin’Tij Grand Boulevard (San)Destin

David Arthur Chardonnay at Vintij Grand Blvd

Delightful wine lunch at Vintij Grand Boulevard

We dined al fresco on the patio, enjoying the Florida autumn sunshine! 

Beth ordered the MARYLAND LUMP CRAB CAKE, Charred Corn-Black Bean Salsa & Lemon Caper Butter.

Bill ordered the Shrimp and Grits, House Made Andouille, Plum Tomatoes, Parmesan Basil Grits & Lemon Caper Butter.

Linda ordered her regular favorite, the SEARED TUNA, Marinated Cucumber Salad, Sriracha Kewpie Mayonnaise, Chili Oil & Ponzu.

I was a bit under the weather and went with the zesty soup, and then the WARM BLEU CHEESE & GRAPE TART - Red Wine Crust, Roasted Grapes, Roasted Red Peppers, Candied Walnuts & Balsamic Reduction.

We paired with our food a couple of hearty Chardonnays from the Vin’tij retail wine shop.

Chappellet Napa Valley Sangiacomo Vineyard, Carneros Chardonnay 2021

We all visited the Chappellet estate vineyards and winery, high atop Pritchett Hill, Napa Valley during our Wine Experiences back in 2009 and 2013. 

We’re big fans of Chappellet Cabernet wines but had never experienced any of their Chardonnay labels so this was a new discovery. 

Label from 2023

This 100% Chardonnay is sourced from the Sangiacomo Vineyard in Carneros AVA at the bottom of the conflucence of Napa and Sonoma Valleys.. 

The Sangiacomo family are master viticulturists and multigenerational winegrowers who have been farming since 1927. Their cool, windswept vineyard in Sonoma’s Carneros region is ideally located bordering San Pablo Bay, where the grapes slowly mature, developing intense varietal character, while retaining excellent acidity and finesse. 

Winemaker’s Growing Season & Harvest Notes - “The 2021 growing season began with one of the driest winters on record, followed by a mild spring and summer with no adverse heat events. Due to the lack of precipitation, canopy growth was limited and the vines produced very small berries and clusters. To ensure ideal ripening and flavor development we closely monitored vine water stress and applied a highly targeted irrigation strategy.’

“While the drought conditions yielded a small crop, the long, temperate growing season combined with ideal weather during harvest produced exceptional quality Chardonnay, with lovely structure and concentration, excellent underlying acidity and soaring varietal flavors.”

Wine Notes and Statistics

Winemaker Phillip Corallo-Titus

100% Chardonnay; Robert Young, Hyde and Catarina Clones

Harvested Sept. 6 – Sept. 16, 2021

100% Malolactic fermentation, aged in 100% French oak, 35% new

Bottled July 2022 - 1,020 cases were produced

Winemaker’s Tasting Notes - “ Made from this coveted fruit, this mouth-filling wine displays beautiful layers of  stone fruits and citrus, as well as French oak-inspired layers of vanilla and spice. This tantalizing Chardonnay displays lavish aromas of honeydew melon, lemon zest, white peach, nectarine and tropical flowers, with sophisticated hints of vanilla, nutmeg, clove and brioche from aging in French oak. While the palate is creamy and rich, with lovely depth and structure, enlivening natural acidity adds poise and energy to the juicy citrus and stone fruit flavors as they glide to a long, vibrant finish.”

This release was rated 95 points and “Cellar Selection” by Wine Enthusiast, 94 points by Jeb Dunnuck,93 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, and 92 points by Wine Spectator.

Golden straw colored, full bodied, full round complex, forward pear and peach fruits with nutty spices and brioche notes on a lengthy buttery finish. 

RM 91 points. 

https://go.cellartracker.com/wine/4458839

https://chappellet.com/

Rivers-Marie Sonoma County Anderson Valley Chardonnay 2021

This limited release label is from up and coming superstar winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown. He founded 
​Rivers-Marie in 2002 with Genevieve Marie Welsh, a boutique winery in Calistoga, California, renowned for its single-vineyard Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Sauvignon. They focus on minimal intervention and sustainable practices, seeking to showcase the unique character of each vineyard and vintage. 

In 2010, they acquired the notable Summa Vineyard, from which they produce highly acclaimed Pinot Noirs.

Since 2016/2017 they have produced six select vineyard designated Chardonnays from the Sonoma Coast and Sonoma County. 

The Sonoma Coast vineyards for our Chardonnay program are closer to each other than any other varietal they produce.

This single vineyard designated label is distinctive, sourced from the Bearwallow Vineyard, from a small 1.5 acre block deep in Anderson Valley. Thomas says of this label, “The epitome of meticulous farming is what always comes to mind first when I think of Bearwallow. This deep end Anderson Valley site has been a part of our program since 2016 and we enjoy its different nature from all the tiny clustered Sonoma Coast vineyards that make up the majority of our program. This bottling always has a distinctive yellow fruited character complemented by a saline and roasted nut character. Our little 1.5 acre Wente clone block has matured into one of the unique coastal Chardonnays we taste every year.”

This release was rated 94 points by Jeb Dunnuck and 91 points by Vinous

Deep golden colored, full bodied, full round, rich concentrated and forward yellow apple, pear with notes of nuts and mineral and hints of apricot, herbs and floral with a sharp focused finish.  

RM 92 points. 

https://go.cellartracker.com/wine/4503440

https://www.riversmarie.com/wines/chardonnay/

https://vintij.com/