2022 Far Niente Post & Beam Carneros Chardonnay

Far Niente, in Oakville, Napa Valley, was founded in 1885 by John Benson, who ran it until Prohibition in 1919, when he abandoned the winery. In 1979 Gil Nickel, an Oklahoma nursery owner, purchased the 250-acre estate. Today the estate is still owned by the Nickel family. The second generation has also started other wine enterprises in the Napa Valley, including Dolce, producer of a late harvest wine, and Nickel & Nickel, which produces small-lot, single-vineyard wines. Far Niente produces Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay.

Carneros AVA, also known as Los Carneros, is at the southern end of the Napa and Sonoma Valleys at the top of the San Francisco Bay. The 8,000 vineyard acres are mostly planted to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, both of which thrive in the district’s cool, marine climate. Carneros became an AVA in 1983 and it has attracted foreign wine companies along with local producers. It has been especially appealing to European producers of sparkling wines including the giant Spanish cava producers Codorniu and Frexinet, and the French Champagne house Taittinger. Codorniu in Carneros is called Artesa, and Frexinet’s Carneros brand is Gloria Ferrer. Taittinger calls its Carneros winery Domaine Carneros. The European producers also make still wines in Carneros.

This white variety originated in Burgundy, but is now grown around the world. Its flexibility to thrive in many regions translates to wide flavor profile in the market. Chardonnay is commonly used in making Champagne and sparkling wines.