93pts Wine Enthusiast
Vivid, rich aromas of roasted peanuts, butterscotch and toasted oak lead to ultraripe golden apple and marzipan flavors in this full-bodied, lush and soft wine. Its indulgent richness coats the taste buds and clings to the sides of the mouth for a lingering finish.
92pts James Suckling
Buttered toast, apricots, apple crumble and spiced pears on the nose. It’s creamy and flavorful, with a full body and spiced, ripe fruit complemented by flinty and smoky undertones. Bright acidity, too.
90pts Wine Spectator
Offers toast and spices up front, giving way to generous pear, apple and citrus flavors, with notes of green tea and candied orange peel. Harmonious finish, with a fresh thread of acidity keeping the flavors crisp and focused.
Winemaker's Notes
As you'd expect from a growing season like this, Neyers Chardonnay is especially bright and fresh. The acid makes for a crisp finish, but in a year with a growing season exaggerated by cool weather, Neyers achieves total fruit ripening, and the rich texture and complex flavors accompanying it. A combination of the hazelnut or 'noisette' aroma that's paired with natural butterscotch flavors. Both come from Neyers' traditional winemaking practices.
History
"In 1999, Bruce and Barbara Neyers purchased and renovated a winery on a thirty-acre parcel in the Sage Canyon area of Napa Valley. Over the next 14 months they built a modern, highly functional winery designed for traditional winemaking practices. They produced their first vintage in this state of the art facility in 2000. In 2002, Wine and Spirits Magazine named Neyers Vineyards the Artisan Winery of the Year.
About 25% of our production is Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon grown on Bruce and Barbara’s 50-acre, Conn Valley ranch. They purchase additional grapes from a select group of growers, among them the Sangiacomo family of the Carneros District, Will Nord of Napa, the Rossi Ranch of Sonoma County, Markus Bokisch and the Evangelho family.
Even though Neyers Vineyards sits in the heart of the Napa Valley, Bruce's experience with French wine importer Kermit Lynch has had an undeniable influence on their wines. Many of the French producers Bruce has worked with farm organically, make their wines naturally without use of cultured yeast or laboratory designed malo-lactic starter, and bottle their wines without fining or filtration. Neyers barrels are made in France, to our specifications, from wood that we buy in bulk and air dry for three years, two years longer than normal. All of the grapes are picked by hand, into small bins that hold only one-half ton. They are then laboriously hand sorted and inspected at the winery as winemaker Tadeo Borchardt gently guides the winemaking process along. As Bruce says, “No expense has been spared in our grape growing, winemaking practices, or processing equipment, yet customers repeatedly tell us that our wines represent great value in today's highly competitive wine market.” Bruce Neyers produces his own content for the company blog, “Vintner Tales.” "
