2023 Lloyd Cellars Carneros Chardonnay – A Reunion of an “Old Friend”
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The Winery
Photo from Lloyd Cellars
About 10 years ago I was purchasing Lloyd Cellars on a regular basis as it was a solid Chardonnay. Recently I was given a bottle of the 2023 Lloyd Cellars, and a lot has changed! The wine went from a very good Chardonnay to an excellent Chardonnay.
Rob Lloyd is the Founder and Winemaker for Lloyd Cellars. His background is in Economics, graduating from UC Irvine. He then moved to Napa and began working in the tasting room and harvest at Cakebread. His interest continued as he worked in the tasting room at Stag’s leap Wine Cellars. Here his conversations with winemaking and vineyard staff inspired him to go back to study enology. After fulfilling the required chemistry and biology classes he was accepted into the master’s program at UC Davis. After graduating from UC Davis in 1999, he began his winemaking as Assistant Winemaker at La Crema Winery. His next position in 2001 blazed his trail and set his direction. He became the assistant winemaker at Rombauer Estate, then an associate winemaker and in 2006 became the Winemaker until 2008.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The name Lloyd, of Welsh origin, primarily means “grey” or “gray-haired”. It comes from the Welsh word “llwyd”. The name may also be interpreted as symbolizing wisdom and mature intellect, as gray hair is often associated with age and experience. While Rob may not have gray hair, he certainly has wisdom and knowledge for making excellent Chardonnay!
Rob and his wife Bonnie established Lloyd Cellars in 2008 along with Lloyd Consulting. In 2009 he co-founded JAM Cellars. He now focuses on Lloyd Cellars and limited consulting partners today.
Today Lloyd Cellars produces Chardonnay from two regions, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir.
The Wine – “Wine is bottled Poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Opened this bottle the other night and right away the aromas burst into the olfactory senses with a swirling of exotic fruit, flowers and oak. Once in the glass a radiant golden color immediately brought to mind that this was a unique wine to behold. The viscosity in the glass was heavy and weighty. On the nose, honey crisp apple, pineapple and pear rose up to greet the imbiber. On the palate, those fruits along with creamy Irish butter texture, toasted oak notes and mango / honeydew melon provide a mouth filling experience. The finish was exotic, rich and provided hints of caramel.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The wine was rated 94 points by Tasting Panel Magazine. The grapes come from the renown Sangiacomo Vineyard in Los Carneros and aged 10 months in American oak barrels. The wine is left on the lees until bottling which provides such a wonderous mouthfeel and layering. It is 100% malolactic, coming in at 14.5% alcohol and is listed at $42/bottle.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
This wine just made my annual Best Wines Tasted in 2025 for both taste and value. Only 2-3% of the approximately 1,800 wines tasted in a year make this list.
The Food and Wine Pairing – “Food without wine is a corpse; wine without food is a ghost. United and well matched, they are as body and soul: living partners” – Andre Simon
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Paired this evening with a sliced chicken breast stuffed and topped with Pico de Gallo and a blend of three cheeses. Accompanied by Spanish rice with added freshly roasted yellow corn, sliced green onion and black beans. Also served was a beautifully prepared fresh garden salad with green onions, black beans, corn tortilla chips, cut cherry tomatoes and cheese.
The anonymous quote “Adventure may hurt you, but monotony will kill you” applied to this dinner. Thought perhaps the Chardonnay would work with this dinner. While the wine was scrumptious and the meal delicious, the two were an average pairing as the Pico de Gallo was too strong for this great wine. We switched to a Sauvignon Blanc that paired much better but absolutely finished the splendid Chardonnay watching a movie after dinner! Will find another bottle to pair more appropriately next time.
Sláinte,
Michael