100% Chardonnay

Food pairings: Grilled or roast chicken, seafood, fresh salads and creamy pasta dishes; it is also lovely on its own as an aperitif.

Winemaking: The grapes are picked at optimal ripeness for flavor. Part of the wine is fermented in neutral oak barrels with lees contact, and half of it goes through malolactic conversion, which adds a gentle roundness without heavy oak. It is then aged in a mix of neutral barrels and stainless-steel tanks, keeping the wine crisp, fruity and versatile at the table.

Vineyards and terroir: The 2024 Pavette Chardonnay comes from certified sustainable vineyards in the Monterey AVA on California's Central Coast, a cool-climate region where Chardonnay keeps its freshness and bright acidity.

Family and history: Pavette means "little peacock": "pav" from the peacock's name in several European languages (páv, pavón, pavone, pavo real) plus the diminutive "-ette". The label is the brainchild of Napa native winemaker Rob Fischer, whose résumé includes Etude, Lyric and Beaulieu Vineyard, and wine entrepreneur Baron Ziegler of Banshee Wines fame. Together they source grapes from across California for a range of fruit-forward, sustainably grown wines that offer great value, under the motto "Always be struttin'".

In the pictures: Chardonnay country in Monterey County: vineyard rows in the Arroyo Seco area with views toward the Santa Lucia Highlands (photo: Danicox40, 2020, CC BY-SA 4.0). The cool coastal marine layer drifting into the Salinas Valley (photo: David Prasad, 2021, CC BY-SA 2.0).