Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2015 Chardonnay Sta. Rita Hills is a richer white, especially in the vintage. Orange blossom, buttered pineapple, and salted apple notes all emerge from the glass, and it's nicely textured on the palate with plenty of fruit and a good finish. It’s going to keep for a decade.
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Wine Enthusiast
Toasty aromas of seared lemon, citrus pith and ashy Brie rind show on the nose of this bottling from the longtime grape-growing family. The palate is extremely focused and sharp, offering lime sorbet, green pear and more pithy qualities, wrapped in a compellingly grippy texture.
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.