The 7 Best Napa Valley White Wines to Sip This Summer

Founders Molly and Donn Chappellet discovered existing Chenin Blanc vines when they purchased their eponymous property in the late 1960s and decided to replant many of them to make their Signature Chenin Blanc. The 2024 was fermented in a combination of stainless-steel tanks and neutral French oak barrels to add a bit of complexity to the wine. It has enticing aromas of pineapple, peach, and white flowers with flavors of lemon zest, brown baking spices, and a touch of vanilla in the finish. It’s drinking beautifully right now, but don’t hesitate to lay a few bottles down for five to seven years.

This delightful Chenin Blanc comes from grapes grown in the gravelly and alluvial soils in Ryan’s Vineyard in the Oak Knoll District AVA. They were harvested at night, then whole cluster pressed the next morning before the juice was transferred to neutral French oak barrels for fermentation and six months of ageing on the lees with regular bâtonnage (stirring of the lees). The resulting wine is pale straw colored with aromas of green apple, peach, and Anjou pear and flavors of citrus blossom, white peach, and canned yellow peach.

Most of the grapes for this stunning Chardonnay are sourced from the southern part of Napa Valley where fog from the San Pablo Bay cools the grapes in the late evenings and early mornings, allowing the wines to maintain bracing acidity and freshness. Small percentages come from Carneros and Oak Knoll, as well. After crushing, the wine is fermented in 48 percent new French oak and 52 percent neutral oak, and bottling occurs just after five months of ageing to maintain acidity and a fresh aromatic profile. It is bright straw colored in the glass and has aromas of lemon zest, green apple, and key lime pie that transition to flavors of peach, lemon curd, and lemon lime zest.

This delightful Rhone Valley-style white blend has been made since 1999 as the white wine sister of Inglenook’s premier red wine, Rubicon. A blend of Viognier, Roussanne, and Marsanne, it is aged in both French oak and stainless steel to preserve freshness. It has aromas of white peach, lemon meringue pie, and fragrant white flowers with flavors of pineapple, apricot, and lemon rind that lead to bracing minerality in the mid palate and a zesty finish.

We often rent bicycles when we’re visiting Napa Valley because we love to ride up valley on the Silverado Trail, and one of our favorite places to stop for a rest is Darioush because we’re constantly amazed at the ornate columns and buildings designed to replicate an ancient Persian temple. Owner Darioush Khaledis and his wife Shahpar emigrated from Persia to California, and in 1998, they founded Darioush and began producing world-class wines. Their delicious 2021 Viognier is straw colored in the glass with aromas of white flowers, white peach, and dried apricot with flavors of yellow peach, jasmine flower, and cantaloupe melon.

Dennis and Judy Groth founded their eponymous winery in 1981, and it remains 100 percent family owned and operated with chairman Dennis Groth, owner Judy Groth, president Suzanne Groth, and owner-advisor D. Andrew Groth all firmly at the helm. Groth also takes credit for making the first Robert Parker 100-point wine in Napa before Oakville was designated as an American Viticultural Area. Their 2023 Sauvignon Blanc is as well made and tasty as ever, with aromas of lemon grass, freshly snipped green herbs, and green apple and flavors of pear, honeydew melon, and acacia honey.

The team at Lang & Reed likes to remind wine lovers that Chenin Blanc was one of the most widely planted grapes in Napa Valley only a few decades ago, but today fewer than 20 acres remain. The team currently takes its inspiration from wines made in the Loire Valley and implements techniques such as whole bunch pressing, the use of both indigenous and inoculated yeast, and immediate transfer from one new oak barrel to the next new oak barrel only one day after pressing. The 2015 represents one of Lang & Reed’s first vintages of Chenin Blanc, and we were lucky to find a bottle tucked away at the back of one of our wine racks. Once opened, we immediately realized the ageing potential of this stunning wine. It has aromas of yellow peach, honeycomb, and apricot that transition to full-bodied mouthfeel and flavors of peach, ripe mango, and a touch of salinity in the finish. We think it’s drinking perfectly right now and found some available on the winery website as a library release, so don’t hesitate.