2024 Reviews
Billy Norris, Vinous - January 2026
The brainchild of husband and wife Laura Jones and Brian Ball (winemaker and estate director at Skipstone, respectively), Sphaerics is one of the most exciting new projects I encountered during this visit to the region. Jones cut her teeth working at Domaine Armand Rousseau in Burgundy and with Mark Aubert in Napa/Sonoma. She’s a deft hand with Chardonnay, clearly taking a page from Aubert’s book in the sense that her wines are richly textured and supremely polished. The first two releases of Sphaerics, 2022 and 2023, comprise only Chardonnay. Wines are whole-cluster pressed and spontaneously fermented in barrel, followed by a traditional Burgundian-style élevage of 11 months in barrel followed by five to six months in stainless steel—about as straightforward as it gets.
The flagship bottling (If And Only If) hails from the oldest section of the famed Upper Barn Vineyard at the Jackson family’s Alexander Mountain estate, a plot that originally went into Peter Michael’s Mon Plaisir for many years. Upper Barn is one of the most singular Chardonnay sites in California, and that certainly translates here. Two other sites, one in Carneros and one in Russian River Valley, round out the portfolio. The 2024 vintage sees the addition of a Pinot Noir to the stable, while the 2025 vintage yielded the first wines off the estate vineyard that Jones and Ball recently purchased in Freestone-Occidental.
And the wines themselves? They’re excellent. Compellingly rich and layered but weightless and restrained, these are classy Chardonnays through and through. The 2024s, tasted from tank a week prior to bottling, are riveting, pointing to a refined approach that benefits from slightly less new oak across the board and an extra bump of precision. The 2024 Pinot Noir is a good opening salvo, but I hope to see more character in the future estate bottlings. Don’t miss these wines.
2024 Sphaerics “if and only if” Chardonnay Upper Barn Vineyard Alexander Valley
94-96 points
The 2024 Chardonnay If And Only If is pliant, yielding and extremely generous today. Showing slightly less phenolic/mineral intensity and a notably softer build than the 2023 tasted alongside, the 2024 impresses for its roundness and approachability as it emanates layers of floral-infused citrus fruit, marzipan and ripe apricot. A worthy follow-up to the 2023.
2024 Sphaerics “on days and nights” Chardonnay Russian River Valley
95-97 points
The 2024 Chardonnay On Days And Nights is a notable step up from the debut 2023. Russian River intensity comes across in a measured, perfectly calibrated framework that speaks to precise, finessed winemaking but also has a sense of soulfulness. Golden apple, sweet cream, pastry and sea salt layer atop one another in the glass. There’s real cohesion here. I suspect this will be lights-out from bottle.
2024 Sphaerics “overline” Chardonnay Carneros Napa Valley
95-97 points
The 2024 Chardonnay Overline, tasted from tank just prior to bottling, shares remarkable similarities with the 2023, but with everything dialed up. It’s another wine that balances inner tension with plush, unctuous textures and unreal density. The depth of the minerality and tactile zip of the acids here join together in effortless harmony. I can't wait to taste this from bottle.
2024 Sphaerics “superset” Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
92-94 points
The 2024 Pinot Noir Superset is the first red wine from Laura Jones and Brian Ball, sourced from two Martinelli properties—Frei Road and Bondi Home Ranch. It’s a very promising wine that oozes with class. Dark cherry fruit, lavender, underbrush and blood orange peel build with air, but it’s the 2024’s textural suaveness and delicacy that impress most. This is a very solid debut. I look forward to tasting it from bottle, as well as following the red wine program here as the approach is dialed in.
Jonathan Cristaldi, Decanter - October 2025
2024 Sphaerics “if and only if” Chardonnay Upper Barn Vineyard Alexander Valley
98 points
Sourced from the original 1982 plantings at Jackson Family Wines’ Upper Barn site within their Alexander Mountain Estate Vineyard, this Chardonnay is planted to Wente Clone on AxR1 rootstock at 1,800 feet of elevation. The same parcel once contributed fruit to Marcassin’s Gauer Vineyard Upper Barn bottlings and Peter Michael’s Mon Plaisir during Mark Aubert’s tenure there in the 1990s and early 2000s, and has been used exclusively by Stonestreet since 2010. The wine was aged 11 months in 70% new French oak, followed by 5 months in stainless steel before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. The 2024 vintage shows remarkable poise and clarity, defined by cool, crisp acidity and chiselled stony minerality. Fragrant white flowers lead into layers of lemon oil, lemon curd, candied ginger, quince, and warm brown spices. Each element is expressive and precise, with depth, purity, and impressive length. A deeply flavorful wine of tension and refinement; pure, delineated, and elegant.
2024 Sphaerics “on days and nights” Chardonnay Russian River Valley
97 points
From a vineyard situated in the northernmost reaches of the Russian River Valley—one of the region’s warmer enclaves—this Chardonnay is made from Wente Clone vines planted in 2004 on a steep, rocky slope. It was aged 11 months in 60% new French oak and then 5 months in stainless steel before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. The 2024 vintage is juicy and bright, with vibrant acidity and beautifully defined orchard and citrus fruit layered with a subtle kiss of vanilla and ripe pineapple. Lip-smacking tension and a gorgeous saline edge bring energy and focus, while savoury pressed white floral notes add complexity. Vivid, expressive, and mouthwatering, this wine practically calls for a meal—its saline character makes it irresistibly food-friendly.
2024 Sphaerics “overline” Chardonnay Carneros Napa Valley
96 points
Using fruit from a vineyard in Carneros owned by the Lede family, this Chardonnay brings together three clones from three distinct blocks: Old Wente, Hyde, and Mount Eden. The wine was aged for 11 months in 50% new French oak, followed by 5 months in stainless steel before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. The 2024 vintage is incredibly pure, bright, and lifted, showing expressive notes of citrus, tropical fruit, and white peach. Layers of saline and wet-stone minerality add depth and vibrancy, while the long finish is full-flavoured, finely mineral, and driven by captivating energy and tension.
Ryan Montgomery, JamesSuckling.com - May 2026
2024 Sphaerics “if and only if” Chardonnay Upper Barn Vineyard Alexander Valley
98 points
Grown at 1800 feet from old vines planted in 1982 on old wente, this brings a mountainous feel with real density of fruit and old-vine depth of flavor, with a laser-like focus under the power. Aromas of grilled lemons, wet stones, orange blossom, salted nuts, lanolin and beeswax. The palate is mid- to full-bodied with a luscious, rounded mouthfeel and a bright line of acidity that cuts through the long, intense finish with a mineral edge. What an excellent chardonnay this is, sourced from an excellent vineyard and quickly becoming one of California’s finest after only three releases under this label. Drink or hold.
2024 Sphaerics “on days and nights” Chardonnay Russian River Valley
97 points
Sitting on the edge of reduction, there is impressive clarity and tension here with layers of Sicilian lemons, citrus oil, wet river stones, beeswax, lanolin and flint. The palate is mid-weighted with a textural rounded mouthfeel, bright acidity and a generous underlying power that cuts through with a tense mineral edge. Very well made in a Burgundy style with a kiss of the California sun. Drink or hold.
2024 Sphaerics “superset” Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
96 points
The premier release of this wine and an impressive one at that. Perfumed aromas of red and black cherries, wet river stones, potpourri, spice and forest floor. The palate is mid-weighted with finely tuned, salivating tannins and generous underlying power, carrying fruit and earth with a detailed finish. A very well-constructed pinot, delicious now and for many years to come. Drink or hold
MaryAnn Worobiec, Wine Spectator - April 2026
2024 Sphaerics “if and only if” Chardonnay Upper Barn Vineyard Alexander Valley
94 points
There’s impressive intensity to the concentration of this white in contrast to its crisp, mouthwatering flavors. Notes of caramelized lemon, tangerine, ripe and salted melon, and bergamot oil are generous and bold, but the details emphasized by the vibrant acidity include crushed rock minerality, tarragon and lemon balm. Long finish. Drink now through 2039. 300 cases made.
2024 Sphaerics “on days and nights” Chardonnay Russian River Valley
94 points
Sleek and intense, with wonderful power and focus to the lemon sorbet, fresh kumquat and crunchy star fruit flavors, along with an intense minerality of crushed rocks and sea salt. Wild fennel pollen, lemon balm and ginger oil show on the finish. Drink now through 2033. 400 cases made.
2024 Sphaerics “overline” Chardonnay Carneros Napa Valley
94 points
A stunning white, offering a refined mix of white tea, lime leaf, Meyer lemon and Himalayan salt, with details of vetiver and yuzu curd, plus a whiff of lemon blossoms. Lime leaf, sleek and mouthwatering acidity, and a firm structure bring focus and intensity to the flavors. Long finish. Drink now through 2039. 500 cases made.
Jeremy Young, International Wine Report - May 2026
2024 Sphaerics “if and only if” Chardonnay Upper Barn Vineyard Alexander Valley
99 points
Sourced from historic 1982 rootstocks at an elevation of 1,800 feet, the 2024 Sphaerics If and Only If Chardonnay from the Upper Barn Vineyard delivers an expansive and commanding mountain-grown profile. This dramatic Alexander Valley white wine captures a striking core of fresh orchard fruits, lemony herbs, crushed white clay, and soft yellow peach, framed elegantly by notes of macadamia nut and shaved nutmeg from 11 months in 70% new French oak. A chilly, patient fermentation integrates the wood elements perfectly, while five months of maturation in stainless steel vessels preserves an intense ocean-spray salinity and an energized acid backbone. Unrefined and unfiltered, the palate gains tremendous momentum as it drives toward a massive, exceptionally continuous finish characterized by wet stone and a lingering warmth. It's perfectly balanced and absolutely one of the best Chardonnays coming out of California or the United States. To showcase this wine's decadent weight alongside its brilliant saline precision, partner it with freshly cracked Dungeness crab legs dipped in an indulgent, clarified lemon-herb butter sauce. 300 cases were made.
2024 Sphaerics "on days and nights" Chardonnay Russian River Valley
98 points
An electric, mineral-driven tension defines the 2024 Sphaerics On Days and Nights Chardonnay from the Russian River Valley, a brilliant white wine showcasing a brilliant pale straw-gold core. Sourced from a steep, rocky northerly hillside planted to the Wente clone in 2004, the wine benefits from a warm pocket within this otherwise chilly appellation. The winemaking approach produces a structural masterclass: whole-cluster pressing, native-yeast fermentation, and complete malolactic conversion, followed by 11 months in 60% new French oak and a final five-month steel-tank integration prior to an unfined and unfiltered bottling. Richly textured yet extraordinarily vivid, the palate unfolds with luscious white peach, golden apple, crushed oyster shells, and tangerine zest, underscored by a faint trace of sweet cream and breezy sea spray. Dried chamomile notes mingle with a mouthwatering, crisp persistence, resulting in an exceptionally food-friendly, balanced finish. Pair this spectacular bottle with pan-seared sea scallops served over a decadent corn purée, where the wine's bright acid line slices perfectly through the sweetness of the food while mirroring its saline undertones. 400 cases produced.
2024 Sphaerics “overline” Chardonnay Carneros Napa Valley
96 points
An electric core of zesty acidity and chalky tension anchors the 2024 Sphaerics Overline Chardonnay, Carneros, a wine shaped by whole-cluster pressing, spontaneous fermentations, and a full malolactic transformation. Sourced from three distinct clonal parcels (Old Wente, Hyde, and Mount Eden) within a coveted Lede family vineyard block, this collaborative effort highlights a brilliant convergence of texture and nerve. Exotic layers of yellow pear, lemony citrus, and fresh white nectarine unfurl across the mid-palate, framed seamlessly by 11 months of development in 45% new French oak and a final 5-month steel tempering. The finish stays remarkably sustained and driven, lingering with nuanced maritime salinity and a deeply etched wet-stone core that keeps the palate quite refreshed. This texturally detailed, high-tension bottling could use another year in the bottle before enjoying. 500 cases made.
2024 Sphaerics “superset” Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
95 points
The 2024 Sphaerics Superset Pinot Noir from the Sonoma Coast emerges as a stunning maiden red release from the producer, showing a brilliant ruby center that softens to a bright magenta rim. Sourced from the Martinelli family's chilled Bondi and Frei Road vineyards, this wine underwent a three-day cold soak followed by a 25-day maceration in stainless steel before resting for 15 months in 40% new French oak. A perfumed bouquet of mountain raspberry, wild strawberry, crushed violets, and damp earth unfurls gracefully against a backdrop of cloves and hints of Earl Grey tea and a smooch of white mushroom cap. The palate is medium-bodied and bright, shaped by fine-grained tannins and a vibrant streak of acidity that frames the layers of red plum and forest floor on a remarkably long, savory finish. 200 cases produced.