“Tucked away on the north side of Hwy. 121 near Napa, another site is the Hyde Vineyard. Founded by Larry Hyde in 1979, the Chardonnay vines are planted on shallow loamy Haire series soils that rest on gentle slopes and ancient streambeds.

“After selling most of his fruit for the first two decades, Hyde teamed up with Domaine Romanee-Conti wine director Aubert de Villaine (who is married to Larry’s cousin) in 1999 to form Hyde de Villaine or HdV—a boutique Carneros producer known for crafting Burgundy-style Chardonnay with a California twist.

“The HdV wines are now made by winemaker Stéphane Vivier, who is a huge fan of the diversity of soils and climate conditions that Carneros has to offer. In addition to seven unique selections of Chardonnay used in blending to produce the Chablis-style HdV De La Guerra Chardonnay and the elegant, age-worthy HdV Chardonnay, the vineyard also features smaller blocks of Pinot Noir, Syrah, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

“‘Our goal is to put a picture of the vineyards in each bottle we produce,’ said Vivier. ‘Based on the HdV translation of Burgundy, our philosophy is geared toward producing a wine for the table and cellar without compromising the intensity, balance, complexity of the fruit and the uniqueness of the site.'”