Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Aged ten months in 41% new French oak, the 2016 Jackson Estate Camelot Highlands Chardonnay leaps from the glass with vivacious lemon tart, ripe grapefruit and fresh pineapple scents with hints of struck match, lime cordial, honeysuckle and crème brûlée. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is super intense with vibrant tropical fruit and loads of savory layers plus a pleasantly oily texture and wonderfully long finish.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2016 Chardonnay Jackson Estate Camelot Highlands comes from the Santa Maria Valley and was barrel fermented and aged in 41% new French oak, with plenty lees stirring. Its medium gold color is followed by a classic California Chardonnay nose of baked apples, honeysuckle, and musky melon and pineapple. It’s nicely balanced, has vibrant acidity, and a clean, length style that will keep for 2-3 years.
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Wine Spectator
Rich and voluptuous, with a savory accent to the powerful flavors of apple pastry, dried apricot and ripe pear. Quite buttery, featuring a finish that is loaded with spicy details. Drink now through 2022.
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.