These steep vineyards on Mount Veeder were first used to produce wine in the 1860s, but it wasn’t until the late 1970s that Donald Hess founded his namesake estate here. An art lover and a wine enthusiast, Donald first visited the region while on a business trip to Napa. This trip inspired a full-blown search for the ideal terroir for winemaking, and in 1978 he purchased 900 acres here on the remote frontiers of the Napa Valley.
This sublime Chardonnay is a great introduction to Hess’ Su’skol estate which is set in one of Napa’s coolest sub-regions. The 175 acre property benefits from cooling fogs and breezes from the nearby San Pablo Bay, allowing the grapes to ripen slowly and fully over a prolonged period. Winemaker Dave Guffy ferments 70% of the fruit in stainless steel tanks to showcase its natural beauty, with the remainder fermented in French oak. The final step is to leave the wine to mature in barrels for 9 months before bottling.
The result is an elegant and perfectly-poised Chardonnay that combines subtle oak influence with plenty of natural varietal character. On the nose there’s delicate hints of jasmine, ripe orchard fruit, and spice, while the first sip reveals a creamy texture and ripe peach, apricot and pineapple flavours which linger on the tongue.