Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Key lime, peach blossom and wetstone aromas make for a crisp and clean nose on this bottling. The chiseled stone minerality sails through the palate, where generous white peach and pineapple flavors stay tight and bright.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2022 Estate Chardonnay spent 10 months in 25% new French oak before going to stainless tank for six months. The nose is pure, lively and pleasantly rich, combining oceanic energy with orchard-fruited richness and a subtle honeyed framing. The palate is precise and focused, finishing with a delicious combination of taut and tangy.
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.