Taub Family Vineyards Laughlin Road Martinelli Vineyard Chardonnay Russian River Valley 2022

Four generations of the Taub Family have lived a life with wine as their centerpiece. Marty Taub entered the wine industry within the years after prohibition ended, and by 1930, he had been instrumental in revitalizing wine imports. In 1977, he and his son David founded Palm Bay International, representing a collection of distinctive wines worldwide. In 2013, David’s son Marc founded Taub Family Vineyards in the Napa Valley. Today, Marc and his son Jake are forging a new path for the Taub Family. They have made Napa home base while managing a portfolio of artisanal wines and spirits. And what a perfect epicenter for their newest journey: to create beautiful wines from some of California’s most exciting appellations.

The Taub Family scoured the valley, vowing to work only with legendary vineyards to produce wines that embody elegance and extraordinary balance, focusing on handcrafting each wine to showcase a pure expression of its respective terroir and micro-climate. They adorn their label with the noble valley oak tree to honor their family’s longstanding presence in the wine world. A diamond sits at the oak tree’s base, representing this newest seed planted for future generations of the Taub Family. To help make this dream a reality, Marc enlisted David Ramey as the winemaker, a man dedicated to and known for his contributions to California Chardonnay.

While Napa has been the headquarters for Taub Family Vineyards since its launch in 2013, 2022 brings a new region to the mix with the inaugural release of Chardonnay, sourced from Martinelli Vineyards. Centuries into the stewardship of over 450 acres, the Martinelli family is also in their fourth generation, like the Taubs, with the children and grandchildren of proprietor Lee Sr. fully involved in the family business of farming superior Sonoma Valley grapes. As often happens with family-owned vineyards, traditions are passed down through osmosis while all hands contribute to the hard work and labor of running a vineyard. Whether it’s pruning, tying vines, or picking, Martinellis of all ages participate in the harvest of their grapes, instilling a sincere love for the land and appreciation for the dedication necessary to grow outstanding fruit.

The Chardonnay for this 2022 release comes from a vineyard planted in 1989 by Lee Sr. alongside his father, Leno. Previously, redwood trees filled the plot, and Leno and Lee Sr. cleared the land to grow grapes in the early 1940s. As the tale goes, the 6-year-old Lee Sr. was given dynamite sticks to place in the deeply rooted tree stumps, at which point he ran to hide behind a barn with his father, who lit the fuse. Sure enough, they used far too much dynamite, and redwood pieces rained down for several minutes after the explosion. Parts of the stumps were found a tenth of a mile away and 500 yards up their estate vineyard named Jackass Hill. A ridge of redwood trees remains above the Chardonnay vines, providing significant shade throughout the growing season and creating a very cool climate for the grapes. The cooler temperatures allow the Chardonnay to retain a bracing acidity, highlighting citrus zest and tart Green apple aromas on the nose and pear and white peach flavors on the palate. The creamy mouthfeel is layered with brioche, buttery apple tart flavors, and an intriguing minerally chalky backbone.