{"product_id":"noah-river-chardonnay-2024","title":"Noah River Chardonnay 2024","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Land\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDespite sharing shelf space with Noah River's Napa Cabernet, this Chardonnay carries a statewide California appellation, and that is a deliberate choice rather than a compromise. The label lets winemaker Jamey Whetstone blend across counties to build the wine he wants each year. In past vintages the fruit came from the Central Coast and Monterey, where cold air and fog funneled off Monterey Bay slow ripening and stretch the growing season longer than almost anywhere else in California. That long, cool season is what lets Chardonnay reach full flavor ripeness while keeping firm acidity. It is a sourcing approach built on grower relationships, not a single estate, and it explains how a full-bodied California Chardonnay can still finish with real freshness.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Wine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNoah River Chardonnay 2024 spent twelve months in oak, only 15 percent of it new French barrels, so the wood shapes texture more than it adds sweetness. It finishes at 13.5 percent alcohol. The 2024 California season opened with good winter rain, then delivered the warmest July on record before moderating through August, letting fruit ripen evenly with little of the wildfire smoke of earlier years; parts of the Central Coast saw yields down about ten percent with concentrated juice. The nose is big: ripe pear, lychee, hazelnut, citrus zest and toasty oak, with a faint thread of honey and petrol behind it. The body is full, rolling through pear, pineapple and lemon, and the finish lands on pear and green apple carried by pronounced acidity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe People\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJamey Whetstone got to wine through the dining room. Born in Florence, South Carolina, he worked in Charleston restaurants, where he caught the wine bug, then moved west in 1996 to manage Mustards Grill in Yountville. Within two years he was driving a tractor at Turley, and by 2002 he had launched Whetstone Wine Cellars. Noah River is his answer to a different question: what can a serious winemaker do with good everyday fruit? He spent years scouring California for vineyards and building relationships with growers, then makes the wines with a light hand, aiming for balance and the kind of savory edge that keeps a wine useful at the table. His Lowcountry roots still show in his other projects.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFood Pairing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShrimp and grits with andouille and a little cream is the obvious Carolina match; the oak and body stand up to the butter while the acidity cuts through. Roast chicken with lemon, garlic and thyme brings out the citrus zest and hazelnut. Try crab cakes with a remoulade, where the wine's pear fruit plays against the sweet crab. Or make a butternut squash risotto finished with parmesan and brown butter to echo the toasty oak. This is the weeknight Chardonnay that tastes like more effort went into it than the price suggests.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Natural","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67904425066719,"sku":null,"price":16.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/PA030466.jpg?v=1791073999","url":"https:\/\/danverwinemerchant.com\/products\/noah-river-chardonnay-2024","provider":"Denver Wine Merchant","version":"1.0","type":"link"}