Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2008 Chardonnay Solomon Hills, from Dijon clones, is fatter and richer in the mouth than some of the other Chardonnays here. It shows gorgeous textural richness and plenty of ripe, varietal fruit while avoiding tropical notes. This is quite full and exuberant yet nicely balanced at the same time. This is a blend of Clone 76 and 95. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2018.
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Wine Enthusiast
Ojai is making Chardonnays in a drier, leaner and lower alcohol style than many others, but the wines reward for their extreme elegance and Chablisian minerality. This one, from a cool vineyard within sight of the Pacific, is streamlined, with flavors of citrus rind, tapioca and oak, and is very high in mouthwatering acidity.
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 lesser-known but elite AVA within the larger Santa Barbara district, the Santa Maria Valley AVA runs precisely west to east starting near the coast. The valley funnels cool, Pacific Ocean air to the vineyards more inland, allowing grapes a longer hang time to ripen evenly and achieve their full potential by harvest time. Combined with minimal rainfall, consistent warm sunshine, and well-drained soils, it is an ideal environment for grape growing.
Many of the wineries here are small and highly respected, having established a reputation in the 1970s and 80s for producing excellent Central Coast wines like Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. More recently, Syrah has also proven quite successful in the region. Many vineyards are owned by growers who sell their grapes to other wineries, so it is common to see the same vineyard name on bottlings from different wineries. Bien Nacido Vineyard is perhaps the best-known and most prestigious.