Long Vineyards

Pritchard Hill was always a special place in Napa Valley. But back when we first became enamored of the micro-climate’s highly structured Chardonnay and Cabernet, no one seemed to know why. Times have changed. The handful of owners of the prime spots on Pritchard Hill — about 1,000 feet up, just a mile from Lake Hennessey — now own the most prized land in the Valley.

Back then, the big name was Chappellet. Those Chappellet wines were excellent, but somewhat back on their heels, requiring years of careful aging to bring out all their charm. But the star of Pritchard Hill was the tiny production Long Vineyards, a winery that sold almost all of its wine to a closely held mailing list. The Long Riesling was the best in California, but the Chardonnays and Cabernets — like those of Chappellet — were among the most elegantly chiseled wines in California.

The 2004 Long Vineyards Chardonnay is much as we remembered those great Long wines of the 1990s. Made from a tiny 12 acre parcel where the combination of high elevation, northern exposure and the Pacific breezes that blow over and are cooled by Lake Hennessey, Long Chardonnay has something that few Napa Chardonnays have — rich, long flavors that are beautifully braced by fine acid balance.

Why the freshness and equilibrium? Many of the vines are old, planted 40 years ago. The warm spring brings on early flowering, but the unusually cool Pritchard Hill locale allows Long to pick grapes late, allowing for slow, incremental ripening. These drawn out growing seasons are one of the keys to the production of truly complex, powerful Chardonnay. If you like powerhouse California Chardonnay, and you want to drink it after it has enough time in bottle to find its legs, don’t miss this one. It has it all.

Tasting Notes from the WineAccess Travel Log

“Pale golden color. Deep, powerful nose of apples and a hint of honey. Rich and powerful on the palate, but high-toned. Powerful, muscular, just now hitting its prime. Extremely vibrant and fresh. Excellent acid backbone, keeping all of the fruit intensity in check. Drink now-2010.”
–WineAccess, September 2008