The 2014 vintage is the new release of chardonnay from this Napa Valley chardonnay institution, and like all Stony Hill wines, this is meant for the long haul. Today, one is only sampling a percentage of the complexity that will emerge with extended cellaring here, but all of the constituent components are in place for an outstanding vintage of Stony Hill Chard. The bouquet is pure and precise, offering up scents of pear, lemon, white soil tones, apple blossoms, hints of beeswax and a very, very discreet base of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is crisp, full-bodied and tightly-knit, with a fine core, bright, racy acids, excellent focus and grip and a long, energetic finish that closes with outstanding grip and bounce. This is going to be a superb bottle in the fullness of time, but right now, it is only on the stunning backend that one can really get a sense of what lies in wait for those with the requisite patience. Superb juice.

This producer is well respected for its long reputation of making ageworthy whites and this vintage is no exception, a bright, complex and nutty expression of pear and ginger cookie. Textured and restrained, it shows a wealth of structure and lemony acidity. Cellar it away until 2024 if you can. VIRGINIE BOONE