Winemaker Notes
Hailing from 50-year-old vines on their own roots, this cuvée is transparent and focused, a portal into the most famed of Santa Rita Hills' windswept sites. The nose is oceanic, a mix of salty citrus, chalk and baked nuts that meets levity and a lightly baked quality on the palate. The wine sings with nerve and acidity but concentration just the same. Its unapologetically mineral backbone provides the perfect canvas for a linear, balanced Chardonnay. This bottling shows both the cool vintage and coastal terroir.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Apricot, pineapple, tart-tatin and candied-apple aromas. Full and fine tannins. Bright acidity and a tangy finish with pie crust and salted caramel.
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Wine Enthusiast
Lovely aromas of white flower and stone fruit are set against a crushed stone minerality on the compelling nose of this bottling. Bright lemon and riper apple flavors meet with a similarly stony element on the tightly textured palate.
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Wine Spectator
This has terrific intensity to the bright, citrusy notes of yuzu, preserved lemon and lime zest on a sleek, juicy mouthwatering frame. Shows an appealing savory note of saline, toasted herbs and wet stone, with aromatic details of makrut lime leaf and fresh ginger lingering on the 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.