2021 Frog's Leap 'Shale & Stone' Chardonnay Napa Valley
Balance, restraint and respect for terroir. These are the fundamental practices Frog's Leap employs when crafting outstanding Rutherford, Napa Valley wine. Their 2021 Napa Valley Chardonnay falls right in line with those practices. This is the region's Chardonnay at its very best, pure, clean, fresh, restrained, drinkable. We love it!
Sourced entirely from organically farmed, old vines planted in 1979 at Truchard Vineyard in Carneros. The roots grow deep in the fractured shale soils. The wine is partially fermented in French oak before being racked to concrete tank to aged sur lie, leading to a classically styled Napa Valley Chardonnay with gorgeous golden apple and citrus notes.
This Rutherford estate winery has one heck of a creation story. Officially bonded (founded) in 1981, Frog’s Leap is the story of two dedicated individuals willing to take a leap on their dream. In the early 1970s, John Williams came to Napa for an internship in the wine industry. Here, he met Larry Turley. They waxed poetic about opening a winery in Napa at a site that was once a frog farm (true story). After helping put Napa on the wine map as a Stag’s Leap employee when that wine made headlines in the mid-70s, John went to U.C. Davis, worked at Spring Mountain, sold his motorcycle and bought some superlative fruit from Spottswoode that would help get Frog’s Leap off the ground. Eventually, Turley followed his own dream, and sold Frog’s Leap to the Williams family who in turn moved the operation to their now home in Rutherford. Owning their vineyards and land was the first step to eventually gaining organic farming certification, and furthering their commitment to protecting, sustaining and nurturing the land… and making awesome wines along the way.