Most Chardonnay at this price comes from sprawling bulk programs blending grapes from across California. This one doesn't.

The 2022 Forthright Covey Hill is the work of a boutique Napa producer that makes fewer than 2,000 cases of everything combined each year — Cabernet, Merlot, Pinot, Sauvignon Blanc, and a tiny allocation of Chardonnay from a single hillside vineyard in Sonoma Valley.

Covey Hill is the kind of site small winemakers fight over. Cooler temperatures, gravelly soils, and a steep pitch slow the grapes down and concentrate them — exactly what you want when you're trying to make a Chardonnay with real definition instead of just buttery weight.

The vineyard is far better known among insiders than the broader market, which is part of why a wine like this can punch well above its sticker.

Forthright was founded by Patrick McEvoy as a self-described "old-school," minimal-intervention project: small lots, hand-harvested fruit, no unnecessary additives, and a stated commitment to letting each site speak for itself.

2022 picked up a Silver Medal at the Sommeliers Choice Awards, judged by working U.S. sommeliers and on-premise buyers — the people who actually pour Chardonnay for a living. If you've been looking for a single-vineyard Sonoma Valley white from a real boutique producer without paying boutique prices, this is one of the easier yeses on the shelf.