Sanford Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay 2009

Chardonnay from Sta. Rita Hills, Santa Barbara, Central Coast, California

88 Wine
Spectator
87 Wine
Enthusiast

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Sanford Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay 2009 Front Label

Product Details

Varietal

Chardonnay

Region

Sta. Rita Hills, Santa Barbara, Central Coast, California

Producer

Sanford Winery

Vintage

2009

Size

750ML

ABV

14.5%

Your Rating

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Somm Note

Winemaker Notes

Our 2009 Santa Barbara County Chardonnay comes from our two estate vineyards in the Santa Rita Hills, La Rinconada and Sanford & Benedict. The 2009 vintage was low yielding and balanced, resulting from near perfect growing conditions. This produced intense, but elegant wines with great structure. This hand harvested, barrel fermented chardonnay shows intriguing aromas of citrus and lychee nut. In addition to the lovely fruit, this wine has complex characters of roasted nuts and minerality that carries through its long finish. This full bodied wine has nice acidity to keep it in balance and makes a nice complement to most seafood, poultry and pasta with lighter sauces, and makes an excellent pairing with mushrooms (especially chantrelles and morels).

Professional Ratings

88 Wine Spectator
Fresh and lively, offering citrus-infused stone fruit flavors, with touches of white peach and flowers. Medium- to full-bodied, with a clean finish. Drink now through 2015. 8,508 cases made.
87 Wine Enthusiast
Lots of sweet, smoky oak on this wine, with flavors of pineapples, peaches, limes, vanilla and honey. It's balanced with crisp acidity. Drink now.

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Sanford Winery

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Sanford Winery Sanford's La Rinconada Vineyard Winery Image

In Santa Barbara wine country, it all started with Sanford Winery. Recognizing a magical combination of climate and soil conditions, the Sanford & Benedict vineyard was plated in 1971, and the resulting wines are now the benchmark of the Sta. Rita Hills AVA. Pinot Noir has thrived in the Sta. Rita Hills ever since, and ranks among the best and most distinctive in the world. Sanford's estate vineyards - Rancho La Rinconada and Sanford & Benedict - lie within the 100 square mile AVA, and they rely exclusively on these vineyards for their luscious, signature Pinot Noir. The area owes its magic to an unusual east-west mountain valley that runs from the vineyards to the Pacific Ocean; ideal for cool-climate varietals.

Chardonnay Wine

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One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.

Sta. Rita Hills Wine

Santa Barbara, California

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A superior source of California Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills is the coolest, westernmost sub-region of the larger Santa Ynez Valley appellation within Santa Barbara County. This relatively new AVA is unquestionably one to keep an eye on.

The climate of Sta. Rita Hills is a natural match for Chardonnay and Pinot noir, thanks to the crisp ocean breezes and well-drained, limestone-rich calcareous soil. Here, grapes ripen just enough, while retaining brisk acidity and harmonious balance.

CGM15037_2009 Item# 109683