Winemaker Notes
Straw yellow hued, with rich notes of toasted pine nuts, honeycomb, grilled pineapple and marzipan coming through initially. In the background, more subtle impressions of flint, oyster shell, sea salt and dried Meyer lemon also linger. Vibrant and focused, with a firm streak of acidity that maintains the wine’s brightness and energy.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
A heady mix of light wood, tart frozen yogurt, honeysuckle and orange rind hit the nose on this bottling. The lactic element pops on the fresh palate as well, where a steely, clean line of yuzu zest cuts through the crème fraiche.
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Jeb Dunnuck
A terrific value, the 2017 Chardonnay Estate Sta. Rita Hills offers classic Sta. Rita Hills notes of spice citrus, salted orchard fruits, honeysuckle, and crushed rock-like minerality. Beautifully textured, medium-bodied, with high yet integrated acidity, it can be drunk today or cellared for upwards of a decade.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Chardonnay Estate opens with notes of gunflint over perfumed white peaches and crushed hazelnuts. The medium-bodied palate is rounded, silky and bright with saline accents and a long finish. Give it another year or two in bottle.
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.