Winemaker Notes
Both energetic and enticing, this impeccably balanced Chardonnay shows its cool-climate coastal roots with aromas of Meyer lemon, white peach, and fragrant honeysuckle. On the palate, notions of tropical pineapple mingle with zesty citrus flavors, with bright underlying acidity adding poise and energy to a long, refreshing finish.
Blend: 100% Chardonnay
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A vivid, well-balanced and mineral-infused wine that punches above its weight. Flinty, stony, earthy aromas, then generous lemon curd, green apple and Bosc pear flavors lifted by lively acidity at 6.3 grams per liter.
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Vinous
The 2022 Chardonnay Central Coast comes from a blend of Edna Valley, San Benito and Monterey sites. It's a rich, forward white with lots of richness but also a bracing structure. Toasted hazelnut, apricot, lemon zest, petrol and slate build in the glass, pressing onward through the voluptuous, mouth-coating finish.
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Wine Spectator
Generous pineapple, guava and lemony citrus notes are juicy and bright in this version, with plenty of intensity. Accents of lemon blossoms and candied orange peel linger, with a hint of white tea.
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.