Faustini Haynes Vineyard Chardonnay 2018

HWhen New Jersey natives Anthony & Michelle Faustini caught the wine bug in the early 2000s, they got it as bad as I’ve ever seen. That’s been a great thing for all of us back home.

The two didn’t just start by buying a random ton or two of grapes while they got their feet wet in the whole business. They dove in head first, starting with grapes from the historic Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard for their first test batch. Next, they brought in Opus One & Clos du Val alum Kian Tavakoli to head up the winemaking.

Over the next 15 years, they’ve built quite a cult following producing wines off some of the most famed locations in the valley: Sauvignon Blanc from Galleron Road Vineyard in Rutherford, Cabernet at just two tons per acre from Howell Mountain, and Haynes Vineyard in Coombsville for Cabernet and Chardonnay.

That’s all well and good, but the Haynes Vineyard Chardonnay has always been slightly out of our reach, so we usually have the Faustini’s Money Road Chardonnay. And while it’s a rock-solid bottle of Napa Chard, it doesn’t quite have the pedigree (or the score) that this baby does today.