2022 Forthright Chardonnay Covey Hill Vineyard Sonoma Valley

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.