Winemaker Notes
Planted in 1971, Sanford & Benedict is the most storied vineyard we work with. Its unique combination of rocky soils and cool climate makes dark and brooding wines that still have elegance and minerality. This chardonnay comes entirely from the old vines.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2021 Chardonnay Sanford & Benedict Vineyard is bright, airy and effusive. This emerges from the own-rooted section of this site. Crushed flowers, lemon peel, mint, lemon confit and chamomile are some of the notes that grace this subtle, wonderfully nuanced Chardonnay. This is all subtlety and class.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2021 Chardonnay Sanford & Benedict Vineyard is another slightly softer wine from Chanin that has so much to love. Ripe orchard fruits, brioche, toasted spices, and honeyed, floral nuances, define the nose, and it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a seamless, layered mouthfeel, and outstanding length. I’d be thrilled to drink a bottle any time over the coming 7-8 years, if not longer.
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Wine Enthusiast
Delicate aromas of honey butter, lemon curd and apple slices are subtle yet cohesive on the deftly woven nose of this bottling from a historic property. That seamless cohesion extends across the palate, where persistent but balanced acidity and a firm texture frame the stone fruit, citrus, sea salt and macadamia nut flavors.
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Wine & Spirits
A savory wine from the outset, this leads with scents of nutmeg and lees, along with a dusting of minerals. The flavors follow that persistent savor, though there’s a cinnamon apple note with a brown butter, slightly caramelized edge. The develop a fresh lemon tension that creeps into the wine like an afternoon fogline, lean and cooling. For a seafood platter.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2021 Chardonnay Sanford & Benedict Vineyard really opens up as it spends time in the glass, going from beeswax and roasted almonds to apple pie and spice. The palate is equally powerful with a concentrated core of ripe, honeyed fruit and soft flinty tones that are an ideal complement to all that powerful, expressive fruit. It has a balance of vibrant acidity with a touch of tang and a long, flavorful finish. Rating: 93+
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.