Winemaker Notes
The fog cools the vines from the day's summer heat and it is this combination of warm days and cool nights that gives the wine its complexity as well as providing acidity to give it structure.
100% barrel fermented, 100% malolactic fermentation
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Honeyed aromas of walnut oil, baked yellow apples and sea salt show on the nose of this bottling by Bruce McGuire and crew. Juicy apple-cinnamon and pound cake flavors show on the sip, but it's the salty edge that keep it buoyant and savory, like a perfectly roasted chicken.
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Wine Spectator
Buttery, with plenty of creamy accents to the ripe apple, pear tart and lemon curd flavors. The richly spiced finish has hints of savoriness and toasty notes. Drink now through 2021. 2,390 cases made.
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.