Tasting with Rob and Bonnie Lloyd of Lloyd Cellars

Rob and Bonnie Lloyd of Lloyd Cellars.

Rob and Bonnie Lloyd were in Houston in November to meet with a small group of local wine media to share their story and their Lloyd Cellars wine at Savoir. The Lloyds have family in town and were here for the holidays. Their wines are currently on the shelf at Total Wines.

Rob Lloyd immersed himself in wine after graduating from UC-Irvine. He moved to Napa and put his dream in motion by working harvest at Cakebread followed by a job at the Stag's Leap Wine Cellars tasting room. These experiences motivated him to go to UC- Davis to get his Masters in Enology. After graduating, he continued immersing himself in California Chardonnay with positions at La Crema and Rombauer. He would co-found JaM Cellars and be their original winemaker launching the top selling Butter Chardonnay brand. He eventually opened a consulting firm and started his own wine projects with wife, Bonnie.

Bonnie Lloyd moved to San Franscico in 1996 to continue her career in fashion and met Rob while there. They immediately began planning their future together with Bonnie soon moving to Napa in 1999. Their dreams were realized with the forming of their two brands, Lloyd Cellars in 2008 and Prescription Vineyards in 2015.

Rob's experience in the California wine industry allowed him to make friends and create partnerships with multiple growers. The Lloyds source their grapes from different high quality growing regions to create a unique line of wines at reasonable price points. His Chardonnay which is made from Clarksburg grower James Reamer's grapes from the Sacramento River Delta are a perfect example of this. “I like making big, rich Chardonnays and James grows bold Chardonnay grapes,” Lloyd shared. “Also, we both enjoy drinking this style of wine. It was natural for us to work together again. The 2015 vintage renewed our partnership and brought forth Prescription.” The Prescription wine labels were Bonnie's design playing off prohibition era wine history when doctors prescribed alcohol for their patient's ailments. They are making 9,500 cases a year of this brand and 16,000 of Lloyd Cellars with Chardonnay being the much larger percentage of production in both lines.

The Prescription brand is the Lloyd's second label which features wine from single appellations and single growers. They recommend that you take two of these and call them in the morning.

The wine:

Prescription Chardonnay 2018 - Sourced from Clarksburg, this wine is fresh and fruit forward with a lingering mineral finish. SRP $20.

Prescription Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 - Sourced from a high elevation vineyard on the east side of Alexander Valley that Rob has worked with for over a decade, this smooth red is loaded with lush dark berry/cherry notes, soft tannins and a long fruit-filled finish. SRP $30.

Lloyd Cellars Chardonnay 2019 - Sourced primarily from the Sangiacomo Vineyards in Carneros, this Chardonnay has a fuller body than the previous one with rich tropical notes and hints of oak spice and vanilla with fresh acidity and a long finish. SRP $40

Lloyd Cellars Pinot Noir 2017 - Sourced from Santa Rita Hills near Santa Barbara where the grapes are heavily influenced by their proximity to the Pacific Ocean, this elegant red has beautiful balance with fresh acidity, a bright cherry profile, spice and a hint of cola in the lengthy finish. SRP $50.

Lloyd Wines and Savoir's Fry Trio.