Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Also from the Sta. Rita Hills, and from a vineyard that continues to impress, the 2012 Chardonnay Sanford & Benedict is one of the few 2012s that will benefit from short-term cellaring. Offering classic pear, apple blossom, chamomile and a distinct salty minerality, this beauty has medium-bodied richness, solid mid-palate depth and bright acidity.
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Wine & Spirits
Sashi Moorman sources this wine from the oldest chardonnay vines in the Santa Rita Hills, vines that Rick Sanford planted on their own roots in 1972. The vineyard’s shale-laced benchland soil grew a resolutely earthy chardonnay in 2012, a wine that feels fully ripe yet almost austere at first, savory and floral rather than directly fruity. It gains clarity with air, the intensity of its old-vine dry extract supported by lively acidity, developing an appetizing aroma that suggests chanterelle mushrooms and huitlacoche.
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Wine Enthusiast
Rajat Parr’s take on this historic vineyard walks a tasty aromatic line between squeezed citrus, whipped vanilla cream and brisk stone fruits. On the palate, salinity reigns atop grilled lemon and honeydew, delivering just flecks of vanilla.
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Wine Spectator
Exhibits complex flavors of snappy red and green apple, with floral honeysuckle blossom scents, ending with a delicate touch of lemon peel. Drink now through 2022.
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.