2018 La Luke Chardonnay Carneros Sonoma County

Earlier this year, Stéphane Vivier poured us a gorgeous gold-flecked Chardonnay without showing us the label. The Burgundy-born master—longtime winemaker at Hyde de Villaine (which belongs to Domaine de la Romanée-Conti’s Aubert de Villaine) and former winemaker at Napa icon Stony Hill—just sat in silence as we swirled, sniffed, and took a big sip.

Finally, after we finished, he asked us what we thought. 

“We think it’s freaking incredible, that’s what we think!”

Stéphane’s 2018 La Luke Chardonnay from Carneros is a tiny-production wine that could almost be called a private bottling. It was made from six acres of vines that proprietor Lynn Larson planted on land once used to run cattle. Desiring to make the finest Chardonnay that she could, Lynn surrounded herself with people who could help her in that quest. 

Enter Stéphane, who’s got all he wants in Lynn’s clay soils, which are thin, flecked with small rocks, and uniquely well-draining, much like what you’d find in the Grand Cru vineyards of Chablis. 

Stéphane’s 2018 La Luke Chardonnay is a wine that could easily be mistaken for a classic white Burgundy, but for its serious California swagger. It’s a bright, mineral-rich take on the grape, characterized by its tantalizing nuance and opening with aromas of lemon zest, green apple, and acacia flowers. Aged 18 months in just 9% new oak, the palate is focused, showing fresh acidity that provides an energetic lift to the ripe fruit and restrained oak.

• Fruit Intensity
• Oak Intensity
• Body
• Sweetness
• Acidity

• ABV 12.10%
• Enjoy right away
• Now – 2026
• % Chardonnay
• Serving temperature – 60°
• Cork