Winemaker Notes
This is Dierberg Vineyard classic. For those familiar with the vineyard’s Chardonnay, there will be plenty to like in this wine. Its purity of fruit is deep but quiet, leaning on stone fruit and citrus expressions with only a hint of tropical notes in the background. The palate has a wonderful broad feel that connotes California, but never strays away from its backbone of refreshing acidity.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The excellent 2015 Chardonnay Dierberg Vineyard offers up an expressive nose of ripe orchard fruit, smoke, preserved citrus and light reduction. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, ample and flavorful, with a lovely line of bright acidity and a crisp, precise finish. I hope more producers will emulate Tyler Thomas' choice to ferment and mature this wine in 400-liter barrels (as opposed to the more normal 225-liter Burgundian pièces), an emerging trend in France as well as California. Great value, too.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2015 Chardonnay Dierberg Vineyard over-delivers. Possessing a light gold color as well as a high-class bouquet of sautéed orchard fruits, creamed corn, citrus, and hints of white flowers. More ethereal and elegant than powerful, with vibrant acidity, this beauty is balanced, silky and seamless on the palate. Count me in as a fan, and if you like the more elegant, racy style of Chardonnay, this is for you.
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Wine Enthusiast
There is a lot of pent-up energy on the nose of this fresh and zesty bottling, which shows aromas of key lime, tangerine, wet stone and a hint of nectarine. The palate is overloaded with citrusy flavors, from Meyer lemon peel to grapefruit pith, but there is also baked-apple warmth at its core.
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 lesser-known but elite AVA within the larger Santa Barbara district, the Santa Maria Valley AVA runs precisely west to east starting near the coast. The valley funnels cool, Pacific Ocean air to the vineyards more inland, allowing grapes a longer hang time to ripen evenly and achieve their full potential by harvest time. Combined with minimal rainfall, consistent warm sunshine, and well-drained soils, it is an ideal environment for grape growing.
Many of the wineries here are small and highly respected, having established a reputation in the 1970s and 80s for producing excellent Central Coast wines like Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. More recently, Syrah has also proven quite successful in the region. Many vineyards are owned by growers who sell their grapes to other wineries, so it is common to see the same vineyard name on bottlings from different wineries. Bien Nacido Vineyard is perhaps the best-known and most prestigious.