50 YEARS PRODUCING TOP NAPA VALLEY WINES
Tasting Notes
We find rich, ripe aromas of guava, honeydew, cantaloupe very nicely balanced with citrus-oriented aromas of lemon and grapefruit. These expressive fruit aromas are complemented by a nice streak of vanilla and oak from the barrel fermentation, and subtle butterscotch and caramel from the natural malolactic secondary fermentation. On the palate, this wine is the richest of our three estate-grown Chardonnays from 2018. The wine is full on the palate, with a richness and creaminess that somewhat belies the wonderful acidity that is in the midpalate. This contrast is very appealing, and the wine glides across the palate seamlessly towards a vibrant, yet graceful finish.


100% Chardonnay
Monticello Vineyards - CORLEY
In 1808, Thomas Jefferson wrote, “We could, in the United States, make as great a variety of wines as are made in Europe, not exactly of the same kinds but doubtless as good.” Now 220 vintages later, the Corley Family pays homage to his prediction with the release of their 2018 Monticello Vineyards Jefferson Cuvee on Jefferson’s 277th birthday on April 13, 2020.
Making good on this 220-year-old pre- diction was a 50-year labor of love for the Corley Family. Founder Jay Corley made his foray into the industry in 1970. Adamant about keeping Monticello Vineyards as a family-owned and -managed venture as they enter the second half of their first century, four of Jay’s seven children are now at the helm — Kevin, Chris, Stephen and Kent.
True to Jefferson’s prediction, the family now grows and produces a variety of wine, farms five vineyards in the Napa Valley and produces 15,000 cases annually. The majority of the wine produced by the Corley family is designated MONTICELLO VINEYARDS; the CORLEY designation is for their reserve wines and MONTREAUX is for their sparkling wine.
Visitors are welcome to enjoy the serene setting and gracious Corley family hospitality in the gardens of the Jefferson House, with a 360-degree view of the valley, or in the intimate tasting rooms or in the Jefferson House Dining Room.