Sarah's Vineyard Central Coast Chardonnay 2012
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Marilyn “Sarah” Otterman purchased the initial 10 acres of Sarah’s Vineyard in the southern Santa Clara County's Hecker Pass area in 1977. She then planted seven acres of Chardonnay in 1978. Tim Slater purchased the vineyards and winery in 2001. Tim’s practices include sectionalized irrigation to conserve water, and minimal sulfur use throughout all stages of production. Sarah’s only uses French oak 228 liter barrels, which are topped twice monthly in their humidity controlled barrel room. Bottling is done on premises using Sarah’s own small, fully automated bottling line.
The property occupies 24 acres in the cool climate “Mt. Madonne” district of the southern Santa Cruz Mountains range at a lower altitude that defines it as a part of the Santa Clara AVA. Here in historic Hecker Pass, chilling winds and fog off nearby Monterey Bay mitigate the sunny daytime temperatures and extend hang time. This affords Sarah's Vineyard a coastal microclimate of foggy mornings, sunny afternoons tempered by strong ocean breezes, and chilly nights that are ideal conditions for premium Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Rhone varietals.
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.
The largest and perhaps most varied of California’s wine-growing regions, the Central Coast produces a good majority of the state's wine. This vast California wine district stretches from San Francisco all the way to Santa Barbara along the coast, and reaches inland nearly all the way to the Central Valley.
Encompassing an extremely diverse array of climates, soil types and wine styles, it contains many smaller sub-AVAs, including San Francisco Bay, Monterey, the Santa Cruz Mountains, Paso Robles, Edna Valley, Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Maria Valley.
While the Central Coast California wine region could probably support almost any major grape varietiy, it is famous for a few Central Coast reds and whites. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel are among the major ones. The Central Coast is home to many of the state's small, artisanal wineries crafting unique, high-quality wines, as well as larger producers also making exceptional wines.