2023 Force & Grace - Chardonnay Carneros (750ml)

Force & Grace was founded by vintner Joseph Carr, best known for creating the widely popular Josh Cellars label, in partnership with Swiss-born winemaker Jean Hoefliger, whose résumé includes stints at Château Lynch-Bages and Alpha Omega. The name draws on Carr's own history as a state-champion wrestler and college modern dance student, reflecting a winemaking philosophy that balances the power of ripe fruit with the finesse of bright acidity. Hoefliger sources fruit from some of Napa Valley's most respected appellations, picking each vineyard block at the precise moment that captures both ripeness and freshness.

This Chardonnay comes from the Carneros AVA, an area straddling Napa and Sonoma counties often nicknamed Napa's answer to Burgundy for the cooling fog and breezes that roll in from nearby San Pablo Bay. The fruit is hand-picked at night to preserve freshness, then gently pressed as whole clusters to avoid harsh phenolics. The majority of the wine, roughly eighty to ninety percent, ferments in oak barrels, a technique that builds richness and texture while the cooler growing conditions keep the fruit vibrant and aromatic.

The wine opens with crisp apple, ripe melon, and sweet citrus, moving into flavors of lemon and Fuyu persimmon layered with a stony minerality. Oak aging contributes vanilla, brioche, and toasted coconut, wrapped in a rich texture balanced by fresh acidity. It pairs well with roast chicken, buttery lobster, or a creamy risotto.