Torchiana Chardonnay
⏳ Drinking Window
2023 - 2028
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Pan-seared scallops, roasted chicken with tarragon butter, creamy mushroom risotto
✨ Technical Specifications
TOR's Torchiana Chardonnay is a heartfelt tribute to Tor Kenward's mother, Torchiana, celebrating her vibrant and artistic spirit. This exceptional white wine is sourced from the historic Beresini Vineyard in the cool-climate Carneros region of Napa Valley, featuring old vines of the coveted Hyde clone planted by Steve Beresini. The vineyard's proximity to the San Pablo Bay provides cooling breezes and morning fog, allowing the fruit to ripen slowly and retain its brilliant natural acidity. Winemaker Jeff Ames guides the fruit through traditional Burgundian techniques, utilizing native yeast barrel fermentation, full malolactic fermentation, and regular lees stirring in French oak barrels. Bottled unfined and unfiltered, this Chardonnay is celebrated for its opulent texture, vibrant mineral backbone, and complex layers of orchard fruit and toasted brioche.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 2001 by Napa Valley veteran Tor Kenward and his wife Susan, TOR Kenward Family Wines represents the culmination of nearly five decades of immersion in California viticulture. Following a 27-year tenure shaping Beringer's private reserve programs, Kenward partnered with talented winemaker Jeff Ames to craft site-driven, artisanal single-vineyard expressions. The estate sources fruit exclusively from premier, sustainably farmed crus across Napa Valley and Carneros, including Beckstoffer To Kalon, Vine Hill Ranch, Dr. Crane, Hyde Vineyard, and Durell Vineyard. Winemaking is dictated by minimal intervention, featuring native-yeast primary and malolactic fermentations, parcel-specific French oak maturation, and bottling without fining or filtration. TOR's benchmark portfolio is anchored by cult Cabernet Sauvignons alongside sculpted, mineral-laced Chardonnays—notably the Durell Vineyard Cuvée Mimi, Torchiana Beresini Vineyard, and Hyde Vineyard bottlings—as well as the ultra-limited Bordeaux-blend cuvées Black Magic and Pure Magic.
🍇 Grapes
Chardonnay
🍷 ABV
14.1-14.8%