Winemaker Notes
Aromatically the wine lifts with notes of stone fruits, fresh coconuts, and light lemon balm. On the palate the wine is refreshingly complex with notes of sea spray, under-ripe kiwi, with an emerging flavor of fine floral flavors.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2024 Chardonnay Estate Clone 76 - Inox, done in stainless steel with no malo, is entirely Clone 76 from a 1.8-acre sandy plot. It's yet another very expressive, terroir-driven wine from Chad Melville. Leesy, mentholated tones, gentle linear acidity and rounded shoulders make for a very Chablis-like experience. The 2024 elegantly conveys the restrained style of the house with quiet confidence.
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Jeb Dunnuck
More bright citrus, subtle tropical, and minty flower notes emerge from the 2024 Chardonnay Clone 76 Inox, which is aged all in stainless steel. It's medium-bodied, with a pure, silky mouthfeel, integrated, supple, clean acidity, and a great finish. It's another remarkably pure, graceful Chardonnay from Chad Melville.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Pure, saline and distinctly oceanic on the nose, the 2024 Chardonnay Clone 76 Inox was vinified entirely in stainless steel and matured for six months. The palate is broader and more texturally substantial than many stainless-only Chardonnays, while sacrificing none of its intended live-wire, radiant energy as it closes with a tangy, lifted finish. While this takes on a bit more dimension with aeration, I can't help but prefer the more traditionally vinified Estate Chardonnay bottling for its additional nuance and complexity.
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.