Winemaker Steve MacRostie honed his craft of making Chardonnay and Pinot Noir at Sonoma County’s Hacienda Winery before founding MacRostie Winery in 1987. He also was one of the pioneers to embrace Pinot Noir in Sonoma County long before it was “cool”. The MacRostie style favors crispness, complexity and vineyard character as opposed to overt opulence. He sources Chardonnay from over 30 vineyards in addition to his estate fruit. His relationships have enabled him to work with legendary winegrowing families including the Duttons, Sangiacomos, Martinellis and Bacigalupis. In 2017, San Francisco Magazine’s “Best of Wine Country” issue honored MacRostie as “Best Overall Winery” and “Best Tasting Room”.

Nightwing is a new estate vineyard named after the nocturnal birds that keep a eye on the land. Nightwing also gives recognition to Vernon Morelli, a former WWII pilot who built a landing strip amid the vineyard. This Nightwing Chardonnay was a delight after tasting it over the course of several days. Initially, it was subdued but after settling there were bursting aromas of dried white flowers. On the palate, grilled pineapple, lemon confit and almond paste came to the forefront followed by crushed stones and chalk. This wine has a bright fresh style and is light on its feet.