The Choêphoroi are Libation Bearers. It is the title of a play by Aeschylus, and though the pouring of libations seems quite festive, it is also a serious task. This wine is both festive—exuberant, energetic, powerful— and serious—in its intensity, minerality, and earthy base notes.

The fruit source is the Maldonado family’s remarkable mist-bathed Chardonnay vineyard on Jamison Canyon bridging Napa and Suisun Valley. I have been eager to make my own wine from this vineyard for many years (Les Ténèbres came from it); I feel very lucky to be sharing some of the fruit with the Maldonados.