Winemaker Notes
Vibrant green-gold in color, gorgeous aromatics of lychee, pear skin, raw plantain and kiwi explode up front. In the background, pretty floral nuances of honeysuckle, wisteria and Meyer lemon blossom are also apparent. Bright and lively on the palate, salty tannins and a streak of zippy acidity anchors the wine’s generous and vivacious finish.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2020 Chardonnay Clone 76 Inox is scented of white peaches and poached pears with wafts of citrus blossoms, crushed almonds and baker’s yeast. The medium-bodied palate is textural and layered, its peachy fruits taking on more honeyed tones, and it finishes with great length and perfume.
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Wine & Spirits
Briny in its salt and lemon flavors, there’s nothing to come between this wine’s fruit and the sea-wrack stink of the Pacific. This is tight, bright and sunny, a wine for steamed clams or mussels—one taster compared it to Muscadet, which is a first for a California chardonnay in our tastings.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Slightly light hued, the 2020 Chardonnay Clone 76 Inox comes all from a single clone of Chardonnay and was brought up in stainless steel tanks. More white grapefruit and crushed citrus fruits as well as spice and mint emerge on the nose, and it's round, sweetly fruited, and charming on the palate. I always seem to prefer the classic wine, but this is certainly well done in the style.
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.