Winemaker Notes
The 2022 bursts from the glass with grilled lemons, dried flowers, and chamomile. The very seductive aromaas inform the palate which is silky, intensity mineral, and wonderfully fresh.
A natrual pairing for lighter fare, appetizers, shellfish and shushi, this wine is open, charming and delicious.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A delicious, generous and moderately oaked wine. It offers warm, toasted almond aromas and cool golden apple, kiwi and guava notes on the palate. Full-bodied, creamy and layered, well balanced by light acidity.
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Tasting Panel
Whole cluster-pressed and fermented in French oak, this impeccably balanced wine delivers indulgent notes of lemon bar, honeyed pear, lychee, and gardenia with reined-in richness.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2022 Chardonnay Sta. Rita Hills is a solid snapshot of Sanford's modern winemaking pure, precise and balanced. The nose is driven by pretty, straightforward orchard fruit and breakfast cereal aromas, leading to a balanced, clean palate and a refreshing finish with accents of creamy richness.
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 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.