Winemaker Notes
Great depth and precision, this wine comes from the original vines planted on their own roots in 1971. Stone fruit, yellow apple, white flowers, subtle savory notes, and a chalky textural component. Clay soils intermixed with shale and diatomaceous offer subtle richness framed by an elegantly balanced bright acidity.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
A wine of crystalline precision and tension, Deovlet's 2021 Chardonnay Sanford & Benedict Vineyard shows the more nervy side of this site. Citrus peel, white pepper, crushed rocks and mint all race across the palate. Aging mostly in large format works so well here in preserving freshness and a real sense of vibrancy that is impossible to miss.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2021 Chardonnay Sanford & Benedict Vineyard is youthfully shy on the nose, taking plenty of air to segue from initial saline and roasted almond scents to deeper tones of yellow apples and meringue. The light-bodied palate has a satiny texture and balances expansive, nutty flavors with a foil of laser-like acidity. It has a long, mouth-coating finish and offers the concentration and structure to age well in bottle over the next decade or more. 114 cases were made. 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.