Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The light gold colored 2014 Chardonnay 3 D is a fresh, lively and beautifully defined Chardonnay. It offers lots of white fruits, white flowers, brioche and caramelized citrus characteristics to go with a fresh, lively, gorgeously pure style on the palate. This is pure class, yet also packs ample fruit and texture. Drink this beauty anytime over the coming 4-5 years.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Similar in style to the 2016, the 2014 Chardonnay 3D offers a medium to full-bodied, forward, supple style as well as classic pineapple, lemon, and rocky mineral aromas and flavors. It’s drinking beautifully today, and I would lean towards enjoying bottles over the coming 5-7 years.
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Wine Spectator
Featuring lithe buttery aromas, this offers powerful and well-defined flavors of green apple, melon and Bosc pear. Spicy midpalate, with a finish that lingers with lemon curd and tropical hints. Drink now through 2021.
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.