Antinori Napa Valley Chardonnay Block A26 2022 (Napa Valley, California) - [WS 94] [JD 91]

Vintage Notes:  At the end of 2021, the vineyards received over 10” of rain in a single day. This hydrated the vines for the upcoming winter, which proved to be very dry until a few inches of rain came in April to kick off the growing season. Warm weather in mid-February started budbreak very early, leading to the risk of spring frost. Spring frost did indeed come, and we used sprinklers in the lower elevation areas of our vineyard to protect young vines from frost. With temperate weather during bloom and fruit set, the crop looked promising. Harvest kicked off early because of the dry soil from successive years of drought. We brought our fi rst Chardonnay to the winery on August 18, and Chardonnay harvest concluded on the earlier side on August 26. Vineyard: A26 Chardonnay is the result of the fi nest selection of Chardonnay grapes from the 134 acres planted on our estate. Less than 10% of our estate Chardonnay was selected for the 2022 bottling. Vineyard blocks for A26 are selected f