William Knuttel "Touché" Chardonnay 2024

Inspired by the nimble footwork of a fencer—and the tricky feat of capturing them on camera—William “Bill” Knuttel crafted the impeccably balanced Touché Napa Chardonnay. After opening with crisp citrus flavors, its palate becomes nice and creamy, with a persistent streak of acidity.

Bill had no problem sourcing good grapes for his project. Across California’s Napa Valley, 2024 was the latest in a string of excellent vintages.

Lots of winter rain saturated area soils, helping vines “keep their cool” during a hot summer. “The result was a normally timed harvest, with clean and concentrated fruit,,” says Bill. “It was almost notebook perfect.”

He chose to work with vines in the area’s southerly rolling hills, where soils are a mix of loam, clay and gravel—the perfect combo to create a generous, plush wine style. Back at the winery, Bill fermented the wine in barrel, then aged it on its lees for 12 long months.

The resulting wine offers an arc of flavors and textures on the palate, beginning with refreshingly zesty lemon tones and evolving into a rich wave of brioche, pear and stone fruit. And for the perfect finishing touch, Bill labeled the bottle with a 1890s chronophotograph, an early attempt to capture movement on film, featuring a deft fencer.