Pahlmeyer Pahlmeyer Napa Valley Chardonnay 2022 750ml

The 2022 Chardonnay is dense and powerful. In that sense, it is perhaps a bit more typical than the 2023 tasted alongside it. Dried pear, apricot, chamomile, marzipan, tangerine oil, flowers and light tropical accents all build in the glass. This is the only Chardonnay from Pahlmeyer in 2022, and it is terrific. (Antonio Galloni)

Expansive, broad and aromatic, the notes of toasted fennel, lemon thyme, litsea oil and vetiver leap out of the glass, giving way to opulent flavors of grilled peach, caramelized pineapple and spiced, baked apples. Shows power and elegance, with crisp acidity pushing the flavors into clarity and helping them linger on the fresh finish. Drink now through 2037. 2,990 cases made. (MaryAnn Worobiec)

Both richly flavored and mouthwatering, this Chardonnay offers a well balanced expression of a generous style. Juicy, ripe, yellow fruits and sweet pear are pleasantly spiced, carried through a long finish by brightening acidity. Delicious.

Winemaker Katie Vogt started picking for Pahlmeyer's 2022 Chardonnay in August, with just a couple of blocks hanging into September. As always, it's all fermented in roughly 90% new François Frères barrels. The nose boasts scents of toasted hazelnuts and white peaches, plus hints of cashew and grilled pineapple. In the mouth, this vintage is full-bodied, broad and expansive—perhaps a bit warm. Fruit this vintage came from Antinori, Hyde, Toyon, Stagecoach and Waters Ranch (Pahlmeyer's estate vineyard). The nearly 3,000 cases were bottled unfined and unfiltered in August 2023. (Joe Czerwinski)