Winemaker Notes
The Santa Rosa Hills guarding its back and flanks, Patterson's altitude and shelter from the wind yield a soft and familiar but tight aromatic profile. Even if a little shy, notes of chalk and lemon curd coat the nose. It's quite Chablisienne this way. As if to assure its friendliness and California provenance the palate is more expansive, ushering in a whoosh of salted citrus flesh, green apple and a dapple of cream. Wonderful fruit density, smooth texture; all elements taken together recall crisp California Chardonnays of a bygone era. Though this wine suggests a renaissance is underway.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Very minerally and subtle with lightly cooked apples and medium body. Lots of stony undertones. Racy.
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Wine Enthusiast
There’s a lot of earth on the nose of this bottling, as well as lemon peel and honeysuckle aromas that add pretty notes. The palate is zippy and bright with acidity, offering sharp flavors of caviar lime as well as warmer honeydew and apple flesh touches.
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Wine Spectator
This has a wonderful sense of restraint to the Fuji apple, lemon zest, dried ginger, kumquat and orange blossom flavors, with a savory thread of saline and crunchy acidity. Reveals notes of crushed rock on the firming 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.