2006 Grgich Hills Estate Napa Valley Chardonnay

Mission Codename: The Best Ever

Operative: Agent Red

Objective: Taste six Napa Valley Chrdonnays and choose the best one of the group

Mission Status: Accomplished!

Current Winery: Grgich Hills Estate

Wine Subject: 2006 Napa Valley Chardonnay

Winemaker: Miljenko “Mike” Grgich

Backgrounder: In 1976, Mike Grgich rocked the wine world by creating a California that beat out French Chardonnays in the now famous Judgment of Paris. The French were outraged, and Mike Grgich earned the respect of wine drinkers and critics, worldwide. Today, Mike continues to oversee production of what have been heralded as “the finest wines in the world”. We are very proud to be able to bring you today’s fantastic Grgich Hills Estate Chardonnay. Read Agent Red’s tasting notes, followed by his mission report, below.

Chardonnay is arguably the greatest of all white grape varietals, showing its influence in the legendary sparkling wines of Champagne, the great whites of Burgundy and of course its expression as ’the’ white wine of California. Chardonnay represents over 50% of the planted white grapes in California with nearly 100,000 acres planted. With such a great number of wines made from this grape, it stands to reason that finding wines of immense quality would be hard, but look no further. In this wine, we have found perhaps the ideal expression of the California Chardonnay.

Wine Spies Tasting Profile:

Look – Bright straw to golden-yellow, with perfect continuity of color from heart to edge. On swirling this wine, it shows a slow and bouncy surface, hinting at the velvet mouth feel to some. When the wine settled, it leaves behind slender and slow-moving legs

Smell – Tender aromas of green apple, peach and ripe pear with hints of citrus and toasted oak and subtle components of nutmeg and soft minerals

Feel – Beautifully round and velvet smooth, slightly viscous and perfectly smooth, this medium-bodied white gently fills up the palate and has great structure

Taste – Sweet green apple and pears with a balanced acidity, delicate minerality, hints of citrus, acacia and soft oak

Finish – A brilliant long and clean finish with soft, lingering flavors of pear, lime and softly spicy oak. Add to this a lovely minerality and you have a finish that tastes great and feels great, too

Conclusion – An exceptional Chardonnay that reveals just how great Chardonnay – from any region of the world – can be. Under the guiding hand of Mike Grgich, this wine represents that best of the best. With beautiful aromatics, great flavors and an incredible feel, this is a supple and elegant wine that I absolutely love. At a recent covert tasting panel, this wine absolutely swept the panel to become the best white of the tasting that night. If you are looking for the perfect summertime sipper that is as home with a fine meal as it is on its own, then I could not recommend this wine more heartily!

Mission Report:

WINEMAKER INTEL BRIEFING DOSSIER

SUBJECT: Miljenko “Mike” Grgich

DATE OF BIRTH: April 1st, 1923

PLACE OF BIRTH: Desne, in Croatia’s coastal Dalmatian region

WINE EDUCATION: Attended University of Zagreb. Field of study, viticulture and enology

CALIFORNIA WINERIES EXPERIENCE: Christian Brothers Cellars, Souverain Winery, Robert Mondavi and Beaulieu Vineyard (with André Tchelistcheff)

FOUNDED NAMESAKE WINERY: Grgich Hills Cellar, founded 1977, renamed to Grgich Hills Estate in 2006

WINEMAKING PHILOSOPHY: To, ”… year after year, is to improve the quality of [the] vineyards and [the] wines” and to, ”… remain committed to making distinctive wines with quality, consistency and longevity”.

SIGNATURE VARIETAL: Chardonnay

CAREER HIGHLIGHT: In 1976, Mike Grgich’s Chateau Montelena Chardonnay won the infamous Judgement of Paris tasting, to become the best Chardonnay in the world. The fact that a California wine won the tasting shocked the wine world – and spurned Mr. Grgich on to great success with his own winery

CAREER HIGHLIGHT: On March 7, 2008, in recognition of his impact and contribution to the wine industry, Mr. Grgich was inducted into the Vintner Hall of Fame. The honor coincided with his 50th vintage of winemaking in the Napa Valley

GRGICH QUOTE: ”For years, everybody in the world believed that only French soils could produce great wines. We shattered that myth. That was probably the most significant result of the Paris tasting. Our victory pumped new energy into the California wine industry, particularly in the Napa Valley.”

BLACK BERET: Mr. Grgich wears an ever present black beret. It is rumored that the beret is imbued with magical energies that power his winemaking talents. Further investigation is required…

Wine Spies Vineyard Check:

The location of the Grgich Hille Estate winery can be seen in this satellite photo.