Sphaerics is a young Sonoma County project, founded in 2022 by winemaker Laura Jones and her husband Brian Ball, and the 2024 “If and Only If” Upper Barn Vineyard Chardonnay has quickly become the label’s calling card. The fruit comes from Jackson Family Wines’ Upper Barn site on Alexander Mountain Estate in Alexander Valley, planted in 1982 to old Wente clone Chardonnay (on AxR1 rootstock) at roughly 1,800 feet. Decanter notes this same parcel previously fed top-end California Chardonnay programs, and that it has been “used exclusively by Stonestreet since 2010.”
Winemaking details underscore the intended seriousness: Decanter reports it was “aged 11 months in 70% new French oak, followed by 5 months in stainless steel” and bottled “unfined and unfiltered.” Wine Spectator puts production at “300 cases,” with alcohol reported around 14.3% ABV via retail data.
The critical reception is emphatically strong. Three excellent 98-point reviews frame the wine as both powerful and precise. Decanter (98) calls the 2024 “a deeply flavorful wine of tension and refinement,” highlighting “cool, crisp acidity and chiselled stony minerality,” plus layers of “lemon oil, lemon curd, candied ginger, quince, and warm brown spices,” finishing with “impressive length.” James Suckling (98) emphasizes a “mountainous feel” and “laser-like focus under the power,” with aromas from “grilled lemons” and “wet stones” to “lanolin and beeswax,” adding, “What an excellent chardonnay this is… quickly becoming one of California’s finest.” Jeb Dunnuck (98) similarly points to energy over weight, saying “long fermentations have given this wine tremendous energy and verve without heaviness,” with “salted lime oils,” “raw hazelnut,” and “pine-needle freshness,” and a suggested window of 2027–2047.
Other reviews are still notably positive. Vinous’ Billy Norris rates it 94–96, describing it as “pliant, yielding and extremely generous,” more rounded and approachable than 2023, with “floral-infused citrus fruit, marzipan and ripe apricot.” Wine Spectator (94) finds “impressive intensity” balanced by “crisp, mouthwatering flavors,” marrying “caramelized lemon” and “tangerine” richness to “crushed rock minerality,” herbs, and a long finish (drink now–2039).
