Nid Tissé, Chardonnay Hyde Vineyard, Napa Valley, California, 2019

Featured In The Wine Independent 

Overview of the Wine
Marie-Laure Ammons was born in the Limousin region of France- she and her sister Marie-Cécile were so petite at the time of their birth that their mother hadn't realized she was pregnant with twins. So, as children, Maman encouraged her two growing girls to practice sports. Marie-Laure and her sister took up track and field, and both became acclaimed scholar-athletes specializing in the 400m relay. They loved the outdoors and being physically active, so they decided to study viticulture and winemaking at the Université de Bordeaux. After graduation, Marie-Laure did a bit of globetrotting and in 1998 took a harvest position at Stonestreet in Alexander Valley (Marie-Cécile works at Rémy-Martin crafting cognac). After stints at Domaine Lejeune in Burgundy and at Hartford Court in Sonoma, Marie-Laure joined the esteemed winemaking team at Atelier Melka. For 18 years, she helped craft the wines in his illustrious portfolio. She eventually met her husband, winemaker Frederick Ammons (RUDD Estate, Napa Valley Reserve) and they settled in Calistoga, where they're raising two girls of their own. Marie-Laure is now focused full-time on Nid Tissé: French for "woven nest"And referring to the fact that their family was stitched together by blending the fabrics of France and America. 

Winemaking:  Atelier Melka - Marie-Laure Ammons

Grape / Blend
Chardonnay

Origin
Napa Valley, California

Winemaker's Tasting Notes
Of a bright color with pale yellow, very fresh nose with a hint of honeysuckle and key lime. The mouthfeel is ample revealing fresh notes of almond with a nice tension on the finish. The delicate oak nuances allow the wine to linger in the mouth.

97 Points - Jeb Dunnuck
The 2019 Chardonnay Hyde Vineyard comes from a well-known site in Carneros, in the southern part of Napa Valley. This is pure class all the way and has a vivid perfume of citrus blossom, honeyed minerality, green almond, and a touch of charcoal. It shows more richness on the palate and is medium-bodied, has a beautifully layered mouthfeel, integrated acidity, and one heck of a great finish. I don't think there's much of this to go around, but it's up there with the crème de la crème of California Chardonnay. It needs lots of air to show at its best today and will benefit from 2-3 years of bottle age and shine over the following decade.

93 Points - Wine Enthusiast
From the famous site, this small-production white is lovely and elegant, having flavors of citrus peel, lemon verbena and slate. With a richer midpalate, its acidity persists and maintains a complex core of well-mannered and integrated oak.

Product size: 750ml