Welcome
Please enter your birth date
Are you 21 years old or older?
For information on alcohol and responsible drinking, go to https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/index.htm.
Modern American Chardonnay
Designed and Crafted for You
You deserve a modern and affordable luxury American Chardonnay. An interesting Chardonnay that you want to drink. Chardonnay that beats boring. Yeah, we know that sounds rare and hard to believe. We're here to change your mind about Chardonnay.
We are a family owned Chardonnay specialist, growing our own grapes and making our own wine. It's all we do. Our vineyard is on land our family has owned for over 100 years on the Central Coast of California, perfectly situated for Chardonnay with great soils and the right weather. Our farming and winery operations are certified sustainable.
The result is delicious and unique wines that spotlight strong fruit notes, distinctive freshness, and carefully crafted balance. Wines for the modern wine enthusiast. Definitely not your Mom's wine! (Sorry Mom)
We are very proud of our Nouveau, a seldom done and amazing style of Chardonnay, bottled very early to capture post-fermentation fruit esters that are usually lost in the typical Chardonnay, a No-oak for those that prefer a clear expression of Chardonnay flavors, and our Premier, a superbly balanced wine with just the right time on high quality oak, featuring subtle spice and oak flavors that provide a background layer of interesting complexity.
All of our distinctive wines share a modernized winemaking methodology in our winery operations in the heart of the Napa Valley: Our grapes, from the JL Wood Ranch, are harvested at peak maturity with noticeable acidity, slightly underpressed to avoid introduction of off flavors, fully fermented to "dry" (residual sugars are 0.2 grams or less per liter), which is very little and as close to zero that is achievable. No malolactic fermentation to mute fruit flavors or add distracting "butter". No added sugars of any type. No colorants. Minimally processed.
Part of our wine is subject to alcohol reduction for our Hoo Knew bottling. Hoo Knew delivers a high quality wine experience with just 80 calories per serving.
You'll be very pleased by your experience with our wines. While all are based upon 100% Chardonnay grapes, each is different and modern. Try the style you prefer or try them all.
Your vintners: Paul & Carol Morrison
Shop Our Collection
Hoo Knew Chardonnay Arroyo Seco 2021
$26.00
Only 80 calories per 5 oz serving. Alcohol reduced by light touch enhanced “spinning cone” technology. A more laid back fruit profile that meets our high standards. 9.7% ALC/VOL
Order Now
No-Oak Chardonnay Arroyo Seco 2021
$42.00
Bright fruit and citrus flavors. Fresh acidity and our signature long finish. The fruit is the star, demonstrating great simplicity and clarity through the mastery of complexity in the winery. 14.3% ALC/VOL
Order Now
Nouveau Chardonnay Arroyo Seco 2021 14.3 ALC/VOL
$42.00
Nouveau is a different, rare, and exciting take on Chardonnay, enabled by its youth. The wine style is unique, bold, and with a remarkable full flavor profile and fresh acidity. 14.3% ALC/VOL
Order Now
Premier Chardonnay Arroyo Seco 2021
$42.00
Fruit and citrus flavors. Superb balance. Smooth acidity and signature long finish. Flavors layered with a pleasing vanillin, spice, and toasted oak background notes. 14.3% ALC/VOL
Order Now
The 2021 Vintage / 2022 Summer Update
2021 was a great year at the JL Wood Ranch in the Arroyo Seco AVA, about 38 miles inland from Monterey Bay and 22 miles east of Big Sur. We were sorry to hear about stresses in other districts; our weather pattern was normal but dry to historical averages. Our small lot winemaking in Oakville (Napa County) was normal in every respect. All wines were fully fermented and minimally processed. All wines are ready to be enjoyed now.
2022 started out great but with reduced rainfall. We are in an area officially described as in drought. In this mid-summer heat, we are monitoring our post veraison vines with sensors and our eyeballs and making farming adjustments as needed. So far, pest pressure is low. We think the third quarter will be hotter and drier than normal with harvest probably occuring a week or so early. Yields will be similar to last year, which was average.
A Modern
Winemaker
A Modern
Winemaker
Edward Filice works by subtraction. Instead of relying on the many vaguely acceptable additives used in the industry, Ed spends his office hours in the vineyard, tasting grapes, testing juice, and getting to know his raw material. Then and only then does decide how to elevate the raw wine into its peak expression with simple and natural methods and materials. No sugar, grape concentrate, or colorants.
Ed has done pioneering and award winning work in several California wine regions. We are lucky to have him.
LEARN MORE
Contact
Whether you are new to wine, a wine enthusiast, a wine distributor or retailer — we look forward to speaking with you.