2023 · Merlot

Frog’s Leap is a family-owned winery in Rutherford, Napa Valley, founded by John Williams in 1981 and still led by him alongside his son Rory. The estate has farmed organically since 1988 and dry-farms its certified organic vineyards without irrigation, using cover crops, compost, native habitat and hedgerows to build healthy soil and biodiversity. Solar power, a LEED-certified winery, conservation work and other environmental initiatives reinforce this long-term stewardship. In the cellar, traditional, minimally interventionist methods—natural yeast, restrained sulfur, limited fining and filtration, and oak used for élevage rather than flavor—support wines of balance, freshness, restraint and transparent vineyard character. The style favors bright acidity, moderate alcohol and mineral expression over overt richness, including a deliberately less-buttery, more mineral approach to Chardonnay.