Hyde de Villaine HDV Hyde Vineyard Chardonnay 2023
(Carneros, Napa Valley, California) - [JS 99] [VM 96] [DM 96] [WS 95]

About the winery:

HdV is a venture between the Hyde Family of Napa Valley and the de Villaine Family of Burgundy (cousin Pamela is married to Aubert de Villaine, co-director of the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti). The families, related by marriage, share long histories in French and Californian winemaking. In HdV, they bring together their knowledge and experience for the purpose of creating single vineyard wines from the slopes of Hyde Vineyards. From the very first vintage in 2000, Hyde de Villaine wines have shown their pedigree, fusing the finesse and balance of Old-World winemaking with the exuberance of California fruit from the legendary Hyde Vineyard.

Hyde de Villaine (HdV) Chardonnay is distinctive from its Californian counterparts for its minerality, structure and natural acidity, all of which provide a fresh, seamless wine that pairs beautifully with food. Sourced from older-vine blocks at Hyde Vineyard, the 30-plus-year-old vines produce a wine of character and concentration. This wine is aged in French oak (20 percent new) for 12 months, followed by three months in stainless steel and an additional 14 months of bottle maturation. Reminiscent of grand cru Burgundy, this wine will age gracefully for two decades.

About this wine:

Technical Data:

Ratings & Reviews

99 Points - James Suckling:
"This wine is truly excellent, showing a mineral-edged nose with pure energy and tension. Aromas of struck match, citrus blossoms, crushed stones and salted nuts. The palate is taut, with no hard edges and driving acidity that keeps you salivating for minutes. Closing in on perfection. Drink or hold. "  (Dec 2025)

96 Points - Decanter:
"In the glass, the wine is wonderfully generous and beautifully velvety, with impressive fruit weight and a striking saline thread that infuses the citrus core. Even with a flinty, reductive edge on the nose, the palate is expansive and expressive. It delivers extraordinary length, tension, and energy, balanced by real generosity of fruit. The finish is driven by oyster-shell and river-rock minerality, with additional complexity from white florals, tangerine oil, and lemon oil. Spectacularly complete and nuanced. Here's the backstory: This is the flagship Chardonnay, with approximately 2,700 cases produced from a total estate production of roughly 7,000 cases. The blend comprises Wente Selection and Calera clones, all sourced from Hyde Vineyard. Owing to an extended, gentle pressing before fermentation, they obtain a high volume of pristine juice and exceptionally fine lees from the clusters. The average vine age ranges from 30 to 35 years, with some parcels reaching 45 years. The wine is aged in approximately 20% new French oak alongside a portion in concrete, then matured for 18 months in roughly 20% new French oak before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. The Old Wente vines were planted on AXR1 in 1979. While those vines are beginning to show their age, the natural acidity retained in the grapes remains remarkable. The Calera planting dates to 1986, with additional blocks established in 1994 and 1999 using younger Wente selections – cleaner-fruited and more uniform, with berries consistently formed around fully developed seeds. By contrast, the old Wente exhibits classic ‘hens and chicks’ morphology, with millerandage producing smaller, seedless berries bursting with concentrated juice. 2026-2038."

96 Points - Vinous Media:
"The 2023 Chardonnay Hyde Vineyard is airy, gracious and understated. It’s a wine of restraint, even for this house. Seamless and elegant in the glass, the Hyde is exquisitely finessed. Today, the 2023 is rather quiet, but time in bottle should help this really blossom. Aeration brings out the wine's mid-palate oiliness and texture. The Hyde was aged 70% in barrel, 20% in foudre and 10% in concrete. The precision here is unreal." - Antonio Galloni (Nov 2025)

95 Points - Wine Spectator:
"An impressive white, with toasted fennel seed, honeysuckle, Opal apple and white peach flavors that are generous and plump, plus a drizzle of clover honey, salted toffee, lemon meringue and salted, toasted brioche. The fruit flavors take over on the finish, expanding in different directions with plenty of oomph and intensity. Drink now through 2036. 2,700 cases made." - MaryAnn Wobiec (Feb 2026)