2018 Frank Family Vineyards Chardonnay Reserve Lewis Vineyard

2018 Frank Family Vineyards Chardonnay Reserve Lewis Vineyard

2018 Frank Family Vineyards Chardonnay Reserve Lewis Vineyard

Hailing from acclaimed vineyard sites, the 2018 Carneros Chardonnay offers a creamy full body complemented by fresh, persistent acidity. Layers of yellow apple, lemon curd, baked pear, and toasted brioche lead to a balanced and lasting finish of vanilla and baking spice.

Jeb Dunnuck (90/100)
Starting with the base Chardonnay, the 2018 Chardonnay is a ripe, nicely textured, concentrated white that has classy buttered citrus and orchard fruit as well as a touch of background oak. It’s rock-solid.

Wine Enthusiast (90/100)
From the producer’s Lewis Vineyard, this white is thickly dense in Bosc pear and toasted oak. Rich and robust, it offers lengthy texture and buttery length: a good fit for fans of a full-bodied, opulent style.

Take a trip back in time at the Frank Family Vineyards. First constructed as the Larkmead Winery in 1884, the building was refinished with native sandstone from the nearby hills in 1906 and still stands tall today. The massive stone edifice is considered an archetype of California’s wine country; it appears on the National Register of Historical Places and is listed as a Point of Historical Interest in the state of California.

Owner Richard Frank focuses his energies on making superb still wines. The winery produces Chardonnay, Zinfandel, Sangiovese and several distinctly different Cabernet Sauvignons. The highly regarded Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, which is barrel aged for two and one-half years, is emerging as one of the most sought after wines in the valley and their Napa Carneros Vineyards produce some of the finest Chardonnay available. The Sangiovese, a rising star, is created entirely from grapes grown on Rich’s property and the Zinfandel comes from the Brown Vineyards in the Chiles Valley. Once owned by wine legend Hans Kornell, the winery originally secured its reputation with sparkling wines. Five sparkling wines are handcrafted today in the old building: Brut, Blanc de Blancs, Blanc de Noirs, occasionally the Rouge and Reserve. All of these are made in the traditional French methode champenoise style.