Pellet Estate produces Chardonnay from the Sunchase Vineyard, and Cabernet Sauvignon from grapes grown exclusively in our historic Pellet Vineyard®, a site that has been producing grapes for over 150 years. The Pellet Vineyard’s origin begins in 1859, when pioneer winemaker Henry Alphonse Pellet was hired by John Patchett to make wine from his grapes near the city of Napa. Charles Krug had also begun to make wine in 1858, and Henry Pellet became the second commercial wine maker in Napa County. Formally established in 1863, the Pellet Vineyard was among the first vineyards in Napa Valley intended for producing grapes for wine for consumers at large, rather than family & friends. In 1863, Pellet purchased 45 acres of land south of the town of St. Helena next to his neighbor, Dr. G.B. Crane, and planted 38 acres in vineyards. Our label depicts the dawn of the age of electrification, the era when Pellet illuminated the path towards modern viticultural and winemaking methodology, and with it, the high quality and age-worthy wines that define Napa Valley.

Crystal clear with lemon yellow hues. Expressive aromas over flow the glass with pears, pineapple and apple blossom. On the palate this wine displays a silky texture that glides across the mouth seamlessly intertwining flavors of pineapple, honeydew melon and early season nectarines with more savory notes of Gravalstien apples and cut hay. There is a creamy almost almond like note underlying the high fruit flavors, providing depth and complexity on the finish.

Pellet Estate is a rare, authentically grown, and classically made wine. The Estate is a spectacular vineyard site in the small town of St. Helena, with a rich history dating back to 1859. Henry Pellet, one of the founding pioneers of Napa Valley winemaking, first planted this site with a vision of producing wines that would be among the best in the world. In 2005, owner Greg Krill and his wife Robin purchased 5 acres of this original historic property to found Pellet Estate . His first order of business was to pull out the existing vineyard and replant according modern practices of trellising, row orientation and vineyard management techniques. They then assembled a dream team to perfect every aspect including winemaker Tom Rinaldi, an icon in Napa Valley who was the founding winemaker for Duckhorn, Provenance & Hewitt to name a few.

This classically barrel fermented wine is produced from the Sunchase Vineyard, perched high above the fog at an elevation of between 900-1,400', where the Petaluma Wind Gap collides with Sonoma Mountain just over the Napa County border. The cool ocean breezes & moderate sunshine, paired with fractured rocky clay soil consistently produces distinguished Chardonnay. This wine is 100% barrel fermented and aged, full of fruit, and will age for up to 10 years. Aged 16 months, 30% new French Oak. About 185 cases produced.

Harvested in early September from vineyards overlooking the Petaluma Gap, the fruit was picked in pristine condition. After hand sorting the grapes, the grapes were pressed wholecluster, releasing the juice that was racked to tank and allowed to cold settle for 24 hours. The juice was then inoculated with a yeast strain isolated from the Cote de Beaune, France and racked to 36 month-aged tight grain French Oak barrels for primary fermentation, followed by a very slow secondary Malolactic fer-mentation over the next 6 months. The lees were stirred regularly in the first five months, giving mouth feel and texture to the wine. This wine represents the finest and purest hand crafted expression of our chardonnay vineyard and while is beauti-ful to enjoy right away, it will benefit from extended cellaring into the next decade.