J Wilkes Chardonnay 2018
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Tasting
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Jeb
Dunnuck
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Complex aromas of lime blossom, green apple, browned butter, ripe pear and hints of clean ocean air.
2018 was one of the longest, coolest growing seasons in almost a decade allowing the wine to be both restrained and incredibly flavorful. Concentrated fruit and minerals show on the mid-palate with a lively and bright finish.
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
Winemaker Wes Hagen has the Midas touch when it comes to showing why Santa Maria is a stellar home for this golden variety. Aromas of wispy lime chiffon and flan are light and lovely. The palate offers salty notes of chamomile and honeysuckle joined by apple tart midway; fermentation in 100% stainless steel makes it clean and focused, with balanced acidity and tremendous grace.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2018 Chardonnay J. Wilkes Santa Maria Valley (which includes a splash of Pinot Blanc) was aged 8 months in 25% new French oak. It offers an exotic bouquet of quince and honeydew melon as well as some sappy flower notes, medium-bodied richness, a solid, balanced texture, and a good finish. It's not the most complex Chardonnay out there, but it's a good value.
Other Vintages
2021-
Wine &
Spirits
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Wine &
Spirits -
Jeb
Dunnuck
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Wine
Enthusiast -
Wine
Spectator
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Wilfred
Wong -
Tasting
Panel
After a long and rewarding career as a salesman, grape grower and ambassador for Santa Maria and Paso Robles wine, Jeff Wilkes decided to try his hand at winemaking.
He went to his long-time employer and friend, Steve Miller, with a proposal to create wines that focused on California’s Central Coast, through the lens of two of its sub-AVA’s, Santa Maria and Paso Robles Highlands.
Jeff launched his namesake label in 2001 and immediately received critical acclaim. He continued on that path until his untimely passing in 2010. Inspired by Jeff’s vision and moved by their friendship, the Miller family decided to continue the J. Wilkes label as a tribute to Jeff’s passion.
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.
A lesser-known but elite AVA within the larger Santa Barbara district, the Santa Maria Valley AVA runs precisely west to east starting near the coast. The valley funnels cool, Pacific Ocean air to the vineyards more inland, allowing grapes a longer hang time to ripen evenly and achieve their full potential by harvest time. Combined with minimal rainfall, consistent warm sunshine, and well-drained soils, it is an ideal environment for grape growing.
Many of the wineries here are small and highly respected, having established a reputation in the 1970s and 80s for producing excellent Central Coast wines like Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. More recently, Syrah has also proven quite successful in the region. Many vineyards are owned by growers who sell their grapes to other wineries, so it is common to see the same vineyard name on bottlings from different wineries. Bien Nacido Vineyard is perhaps the best-known and most prestigious.