Sphaerics Chardonnay On Days and Nights Russian River Valley 2024

Every so often, we meet a new producer, and everything just clicks. Sphaerics is one such case – the team is salt-of-the-earth. PURE talent. The wines are immaculate top to bottom. And everything about what they’re doing is what the wine industry should be about: good people, proper land stewardship, killer wines. We’re thrilled to share their incredible 2024 On Days and Nights Chardonnay today!

Sphaerics is named after the foundational treatise of the same name based on spherical geometry produced 2,000 ago by Theodosius of Bithynia. His work was based on the brilliant minds that came before him, and is still used as a reference for mathematicians and astronomers today. Similarly, winemaker Laura Jones and her husband Brian Ball call on styles and processes from classic winemaking approaches to serve as an inspiration in their own excellent line-up of resplendent Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines.

The duo launched this project in 2022 with a stern focus on vineyard selection, careful detail-orientation, and traditional winemaking practices, a nod to Laura’s time spent cutting her teeth at the renowned wineries of Aubert and Domaine Armand Rousseau. After we had the privilege of spending some time with them and tasting through their wines, our team was utterly in awe. These wines are some of the most beautifully Burgundian in style you’ll find in California, and we’re stoked to see talented winemakers like Laura carving out space to build something of her own at such a high level.

This comes from a slightly warmer microclimate in a northern stretch of Sonoma’s Russian River Valley. The vineyard slope is awash in sunlight during most of the day allowing for the Wente Clone Chardonnay grapes to ripen with ample concentration and gorgeous texture. The 2024 vintage is vibrant and juicy, balancing bright acidity with orchard and citrus notes, a hint of vanilla, and ripe pineapple. Precise tension and a saline edge add focus, while savory white florals provide complexity. This cohesive, food-friendly wine layers golden apple, pastry, and sea salt on the substantially expressive finish.