Though today is April Fools Day, one thing that is never a prank or a joke is an excellent bottle of wine. Over the past 50 years, Duckhorn has established itself as one of the premier wineries in Napa Valley. Initially, the winery focused on crafting well-rounded Bordeaux varietal wines, particularly Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

In more recent years, the winery added Chardonnay to its portfolio, highlighting the cooler climate areas of Napa in an expressive, vibrant, juicy Chardonnay wine. Consistently, this is a favorite Napa Valley Chardonnay wine. The wine undergoes 40% malolactic fermentation, adding roundness to the palate, before aging in French oak for 9 months. Fresh and balanced, the wine shows ripe orchard fruit flavors of apple and pear with nectarine, white flowers, and golden citrus. This is the wine to drink with roast chicken or seared scallops with a white wine butter sauce.

Hoping on the trend of lower calorie/lower alcohol wines, Duckhorn’s sister brand Decoy recently released its low cal/low ABV wine, Featherweight Chardonnay. The California appellation wine has a mere 9% alcohol by volume and 80 calories per serving. The thing I love about this wine is, while light, it does not lack character. After primary fermentation, 30% of the wine undergoes malolactic fermentation, adding weight and texture. After fermentation the wine ages in a combination of French oak and stainless steel, adding texture to the juicy selection. Fresh aromas of apple and lemon blossom lead to a palate of orchard and citrus fruit, with ripe pear, lemon, and peach.