Winemaker Notes
When putting together the final blend for their Golden Slope Liquid Farm looks for barrels exhibiting a bit more richness and depth than the White Hill. Once those barrels are identified they introduce about 15% new French Oak and age the wine for 15 months prior to bottling. The resulting wine is something reminiscent of wines from Meursault.
Nicknamed "Goldilocks" because of her impeccable balance of richness and fresh acidity. She is "just right!"
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2021 Chardonnay Golden Slope has very alluring aromas focused not on fruit but rather matchstick, fresh bread, hazelnut, honey and Greek yogurt. The palate has a luxuriously satiny mouthfeel and expressive core of savory fruit balanced by vibrant acidity and a very long, expansive finish with generous, honeyed flavors. Rating:95+
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Jeb Dunnuck
Another gem, the 2021 Chardonnay Golden Slope has honeyed orange, brioche, chalky mineral, and spicy notes that blossom with time in the glass. These carry to a richly textured, layered, concentrated Chardonnay with a stacked mid-palate, beautifully integrated acidity, and a great finish. It almost has a red wine-like sense of structure and will benefit from 2-3 years in the cellar.
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Vinous
The 2021 Chardonnay Golden Slope is one of the richer wines in the range. Orchard fruit, lemon confit, marzipan, brioche and a kiss of French oak infuse the 2021 with notable textural intensity. There's a bit more of an oak imprint than in the other wines, but it works.
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.