Wente Vineyards Riva Ranch Chardonnay 2021

Region: California, USA

Vintage: 2021

Bottle size: 75cl

Grape: Chardonnay

ABV: 13.5%

Riva Ranch Vineyard Chardonnay opens with toasty oak aromatics, complemented by fruit notes from baked apple to freshly cut pineapple, melted caramel, and toasted brioche on the palate.

Riva Ranch Vineyard Chardonnay is sourced exclusively from our Riva Ranch Vineyard in Arroyo Seco, Monterey. Arroyo Seco, where we have been growing grapes since the 1960s, is widely regarded as one of the best places in California to grow Chardonnay. The long, cool growing season with the deep gravelly soil ripens the Chardonnay perfectly which gives a natural balance of sugar and acidity.

Wente has always had our roots firmly planted in a family of hard-working farmers. In 1883, Carl H. Wente, a German immigrant, purchased 48 acres of vineyard land in the Livermore Valley, California and began building a winery. In 1912, 2nd Generation Ernest Wente persuaded his father and founder, C.H. Wente, to import Chardonnay cuttings from a well-known vine nursery, F. Richter Nursery in Montpellier, France, to the Livermore Valley. Ernest hand-picked vines that showed the best health and pronounced flavors, grafted the two together, and propagated those characteristics forward. The result was aptly called the ‘Wente Clone’, which today makes up over 75% of all Chardonnay planted in California!