2013
Pahlmeyer Savoir Faire
The 2013 Pahlmeyer “Savoir Faire” Chardonnay Napa Valley is named for the French phrase meaning “knowing how to do something well”, this wine represents our finest barrels of Chardonnay from the 2013 vintage. Intense and rich, with flawless integration of tight-grained French oak, this wine is a triumph of a classic varietal from an unforgettable vintage.
100% Chardonnay
- Winemaker
- Kale Anderson
- Alcohol
- 14.9%
- Harvested Start Date
- September 24, 2013
- Harvested End Date
- September 24, 2013
- Bottled Date
- May 4, 2015
- Release Date
- October 26, 2016
Winemaking Notes
We harvested grapes for this wine in the cool of the night from a late-ripening, low-yielding vineyard block. At the winery, we hand-sorted and gently pressed the berries as whole clusters, then racked the free-run juice into new French oak barrels for primary and malolactic fermentation with native yeast. Eighteen months of aging in 100% new French oak fully integrated the characters of this massive Chardonnay. The wine opens with aromas of ripe peach, baked apple, grilled pineapple and fresh feijoa, warmed by notes of brown butter and brioche. An intense palate reveals silky crane melon, fluffy nougat, bracing acidity and gravelly minerality. Serve chilled, and age until 2020.
“Slightly darker gold color and offers a big, sweet kiss of roasted almonds and hazelnuts as well as some apple crisp, poached pear, honeysuckle and brioche notes. This complex, full-bodied, Bâtard-Montrachet-like Chardonnay should drink well for 7-8 years. It is a tour de force in winemaking and a profound Chardonnay.”
