Cuvaison, Hudson, Truchard Vineyards
2023 Chardonnay
"SonSonChard"
Los Carneros AVA
Auction 29 | Lot No. 149
Vintage: 2023
Cuvaison, Hudson, Truchard Vineyards
Chardonnay
Los Carneros
10 cases produced
Highlights
- From Napa’s coolest appellation, where Chardonnay is king
- Sourced from three distinct and storied vineyards in Los Carneros
- As both producers and growers, these vineyards have supplied some of the most sought-after Chardonnays from Napa Valley
- From fog-kissed slopes and wind-swept vines, we’ve amassed 145 years of experience between us and pored that knowledge back into this wine
Description
A singular Chardonnay born of three storied crus in the Los Carneros appellation: Hudson, Truchard and Cuvaison’s Tai Vineyard. With a collective 145 years of winemaking expertise, these vineyards have shaped the Carneros region, renowned for its cool-climate expressions. Each vintner selected a prized barrel from their chai, and the winemakers masterfully blended these selections to create a harmonious cuvée.
The name "SonSonChard" celebrates the collaboration, drawing from the names of the three partners: CuvaiSON, HudSON and TruCHARD. While the blend’s working name “Carneros Bowtie” paid tribute to the region’s distinctive shape and Lee Hudson’s signature neckwear, the final name reflects the seamless partnership behind this wine. This unique Chardonnay tells the story of three legendary vineyards coming together, with their individual journeys knitted into one glass.
Steven Rogstad
Winemaker, Cuvaison, Hudson, Truchard Vineyards
A master of cool-climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, Winemaker Steve Rogstad has spent most of his professional life making wine in the Los Carneros appellation. Since 2002, Steve has guided the winemaking at Cuvaison, crafting wines that have earned renown for their seamless balance and vineyard-inspired depth and complexity. Working with Cuvaison’s acclaimed estate vineyard for more than 15 years, Steve refined a vineyard-driven approach to winemaking that takes advantage of the site’s remarkable diversity, including doing as many as 80 individual fermentations each vintage—a small-batch, labor-intensive approach that defines Cuvaison’s estate-grown wines. Born and raised in North Dakota, Steve fell in love with wine while traveling abroad and living above a wine shop in Paris. While attending the masters of enology and viticulture program at UC Davis, Steve worked at La Crema, where he gained invaluable hands-on experience making Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with legendary winemaker Dan Goldfield. After university, Steve joined the team at Saintsbury, before being named the assistant winemaker at Rombauer. Prior to joining Cuvaison, Steve spent spent six years as the winemaker at Clos Pegase in Los Carneros. Since becoming winemaker in 2002, Steve has been widely recognized for making many of the finest wines in Cuvaison’s history.
Country born: United States
Years in the wine industry: 20-30 years
Sal De Ianni
Winemaker, Cuvaison, Hudson, Truchard Vineyards
Sal was the enologist for Cuvaison Winery from 1995-1997, then worked as harvest winemaker in 1997 for Margaret River Vineyards in Australia. From 1998 onward, he has served as winemaker for Truchard Vineyards.
Decades ago, while pursuing a Ph.D. in chemistry at Northwestern, Sal had an epiphany. “I thought chemistry was fun until I was studying it. I wasn’t as interested in all the theory,” Sal shared. “Then I decided to take a wine appreciation course just for fun. I remember the first glass of wine was a Chenin Blanc, and I tasted it and thought – this is so much more fun than chemistry,”
His chemistry background provides a good knowledge base, but Sal believes his love of cooking makes him a good winemaker. “I grew up in an Italian family. My mom is a phenomenal cook, and I grew up helping her, creating in the kitchen. We didn’t follow recipes because we followed the palate. And that’s how I make wine today, on the fly and based on the palate.”
Country born: United States
Years in the wine industry: 20-30 years
Andrew Holve
Winemaker, Cuvaison, Hudson, Truchard Vineyards
After receiving a bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern California in 2009, Andrew joined Americorps where he worked on a wide range of hands-on projects, from building homes with Habitat for Humanity to riparian restoration with the Bureau of Land Management. In 2012, he took his first harvest internship at Church Road Winery in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand. He followed that with roles at Patz & Hall, MacRostie, and Ridge, before taking on the role of Head Winemaker at Newton in 2015 having completed his Master of Science degree in Viticulture& Enology at the University of California Davis.
Country born: United States
Years in the wine industry: 10-15 years
Winery Distribution
Cuvaison, Hudson, Truchard Vineyards is distributed in the following markets. Please contact the winery directly for the most up-to-date distribution information and to explore commercial opportunities.
International:
- Austria (Gottardi)
- Belgium (Vinam)
- Canada - Alberta (Select Wines)
- Canada - Ontario (Select Wines)
- Canada - Quebec (Select Wines)
- Caribbean (Service Innovations)
- Costa Rica (Gourmet Imports)
- Denmark (Lundens vin Kompagni)
- Japan (Fuji Industries Co. LTD)
- Mexico (Service Innovations)
- Panama, Republic of (Felipe Motta)
- Puerto Rico (Service Innovations)
- Sweden (Jakobsson & Soderstrom AB)
- Switzerland (Napa Wine)
- Thailand (Independent W&S)
- United Kingdom (Thorman Hunt)