Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Buttered orchard fruits, creamed corn, spice box, toasted bread, and white flower notes all emerge from the 2016 Chardonnay Belle du Jour Duvarita Vineyard, a sensational Chardonnay that's up with the gems in this report. Possessing remarkable purity, medium body, nicely integrated acidity, and a great finish, it's already impossible to resist yet should evolve gracefully on its balance and purity. This cuvée comes from a vineyard in the Sta. Rita Hills and spent 15 months in 55% new French oak.
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.