Sphaerics’ 2024 “Overline” Chardonnay is a small-production, single-vineyard Carneros wine that aims for a Burgundian-leaning profile without giving up California fruit. The project was founded in 2022 by husband-and-wife team Brian Ball and winemaker Laura Jones, whose résumé includes Domaine Armand Rousseau and five years at Aubert, as noted by Decanter. Fruit comes from a Carneros site owned by the Lede family, and Decanter reports it blends three Chardonnay selections—Old Wente, Hyde, and Mount Eden—from “three distinct blocks.”

Winemaking details are unusually specific for a new label. Decanter says the wine spent “11 months in 50% new French oak, followed by 5 months in stainless steel,” and was bottled “unfined and unfiltered.” Alcohol is listed at 14.2% ABV, and production is limited; Wine Spectator notes “500 cases made.”

The best reviews are emphatic. Vinous’ Billy Norris scored it 95–97 points from tank, calling out “inner tension,” “unreal density,” and “effortless harmony,” adding, “I can’t wait to taste this from bottle.” Decanter (96 points) also highlights precision, calling the 2024 “incredibly pure, bright, and lifted,” with “citrus, tropical fruit, and white peach,” plus “saline and wet-stone minerality” and a finish “driven by captivating energy and tension.” James Suckling (96 points) similarly frames it as a serious, mineral Chardonnay, citing “sliced lemons, chalk, wet stones, pastry, citrus blossom and beeswax,” and calling it “an excellent chardonnay” that “overdelivers for its $65 USD price tag.”

At 94 points, both Jeb Dunnuck and Wine Spectator reinforce the style: brightness and focus rather than overt opulence. Dunnuck emphasizes “flinty wet stones, peaches, white pepper, lime oils,” while Wine Spectator calls it “a stunning white” built around “white tea, lime leaf, Meyer lemon and Himalayan salt,” with structure and acidity to carry it “now through 2039.”