100% Chardonnay

Food pairings: Seared scallops, grilled shrimp and other shellfish, pan-roasted halibut, lemon-herb roast chicken, pork, creamy pasta with spring vegetables, and soft cheeses such as brie and triple-crème.

Winemaking: A non-malolactic, "not buttery" style of Chardonnay, made in three kinds of vessels. Stainless steel tanks give the wine its brilliant lines of acidity and lively freshness; 500-gallon concrete eggs add minerality and gently micro-oxygenate the wine for a rich, lush palate; and barrel fermentation brings creamy complexity. The result is a near full-bodied yet elegant and balanced Chardonnay.

Vineyards and terroir: The grapes come from the Corotto Vineyard in Los Carneros, where the family also sources its Pinot Noir, a site known for some of the best cool-climate fruit in Carneros. Carneros is the coolest, windiest and foggiest of the Napa Valley sub-appellations: fog rolling in from San Pablo Bay in the early afternoon moderates the vineyards, giving crisp acidity and moderate sugar levels.

Family and history: In 1995 Steve and Suzie Reynolds, a dentist and his wife, bought a rundown chicken farm with a boarded-up house and a few goats on the Silverado Trail, just south of the Stags Leap District, and planted it with Cabernet Sauvignon. In 1998 Steve sold his dental practice to go "all in", and the first Reynolds Family vintage followed in 1999. Still family-owned and family-run, the winery celebrated its 25th vintage in 2024. Steve makes the wines with his son Cameron, a Cal Poly wine and viticulture graduate who came home in 2020, guided by "superior vineyard location, fanatical vineyard management, minimalist winemaking, and a bias for learning from experience".

In the pictures: The Reynolds Family Winery on the Silverado Trail in Napa at dusk, and Steve and Cameron Reynolds in the estate vineyard (photos: Reynolds Family Winery).