2023 Bee Block Chardonnay
94 Points, Jeb Dunnuck
92 Points, Wine Advocate
92 Points, James Suckling
Bee Block Chardonnay opens with a creamy quality: lemon curd, custard, orange creamsicle. But before these settle into heaviness, white flower and stone fruit emerge, and a saline palate finishes, polished and pretty.
Drink now or over the next 5 to 7 years.
12.1% abv
78 Cases Produced
$50
Critical Acclaim
“From a block planted in 1981 to Clone 4 and the estate's biggest single block at three acres, 2023 Chardonnay Estate Spring Ridge Vineyard Bee Block is fruity and primary, with a creamy texture and delicate structure. Light to medium-bodied, it is approachable in its youth, offering layers of green apple, Meyer lemon, and integrated oak. Drink now through 2030.” (4/1/25)
94 Points, Virginie Booth, Jebdunnuck.com
“The largest of Neely's single-block Chardonnay bottlings at just three acres, the 2023 Chardonnay Bee Block opens with a classic bouquet of honeyed orchard fruits, nougat and almond paste, followed by a beautiful, silken, spry palate. It concludes with a lovely, precise finish that balances creamy breadth with lifted salinity.”
92 Points, Matthew Luczy, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
“Lean yet with enough fruit to add flesh, with scrubby herbs and a phenolic presence that brings impressive structure. Full malolactic doesn’t dominate yet adds breadth to the citrus and persimmon flavors. Drink or hold.” (7/11/25)
92 Points, James Suckling, Jamesuckling.com