Lush yet enough acidity for balance, and with plenty of ripe tropical fruit, this should appeal to fans of medium to rich chardonnay, and represents an outstanding bargain.
Like so many wine lovers, Paul Maroon dreamed of moving to Napa and planting a vineyard. In 2000, he was able to accomplish this dream with the purchase of 35 acres of land in the Coombsville area of Napa, where he planted Cabernet Sauvignon, and sold his grapes to Joseph Phelps. As so often happens in these cases, Paul eventually got the itch to make his own wine, and in 2008 founded Maroon Wines to produce small lots of handcrafted wine. His Chardonnay is sourced from a single vineyard in the Oak Knoll AVA, just North of Carneros, where the proximity to the San Pablo Bay moderates temperatures and makes it a more suitable area for growing Chardonnay than the warmer areas to the north. This is a beautiful Chardonnay, and you are unlikely to see a better bargain for single-vineyard chardonnay from the Napa Valley.
Vintage: 2018
Harvest Date: September 2018
Varietal Composition: 100% Chardonnay, Single Vineyard
Appellation: 100% Oak Knoll District, Napa Valley
Release Date: April 2020
Alcohol%: 14.4%
Production: 85 cases
97 Points
Rich dark fruit flavors of blackberry and cherry with notes of baking spices, licorice, coffee, and chocolate that interlace seamlessly with complexity, creating a wine that is both structured and delightfully supple, achieving an ideal balance of tension and grace. Artfully composed of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon with 17% Cabernet Franc, resulting in harmonious depth and freshness.
