Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Another new wine in the lineup, the 2018 Chardonnay Ma Jolie Peake Ranch Vineyard is from a vineyard in the Sta. Rita Hills and was aged 16 months in 50% new French oak. Beautiful white peach and orchard fruit as well as plenty of crushed stone, iodine, and toasted bread notes emerge from the glass. It's another rich, full-bodied effort with good acidity, a deep, layered mid-palate, and a blockbuster of a finish. Drink this beauty over the coming 5-7 years.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Chardonnay Ma Jolie Peake Ranch Vineyard begins with touches of toast and flint over aromas of baked apples, preserved lemon, banana chip and white flowers. The medium-bodied palate is incredibly silky, expanding out to floral-laced fruits, lively and seamless with an incredibly long finish.
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.