Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2020 Chardonnay Ma Jolie Peake Ranch Vineyard is another Sta. Rita Hills release, and it spent 16 months in 63% new barrels. Lemon curd, white flowers, chalky minerality, charcoal, and some classy oak all define this beauty’s bouquet, and it's medium to full-bodied, has a balanced, seamless mouthfeel, good acidity, and a great, great finish. It's another spectacular effort from Paul Lato that readers will love.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2020 Chardonnay Ma Jolie Peake Ranch Vineyard comes from 11-year-old Hyde and Wente clone vines. It opens with the flinty reduction often associated with Burgundian Chardonnay, before blossoming to white peach, mushroom, honey, toast and integrated baking spices from its 16-month maturation in 63% new French oak. Medium-bodied, the palate is concentrated and ripe, with undertones of matchstick and honey. It offers tangy acidity, a silky texture and a long, elegant 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.