Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A great, distinctive wine that balances chalky, minerally and nervy aspects with lush, ripe pears, toasted almonds and hints of marzipan. It's quite tight and steely in texture, holding those intricate flavors with a firm feel and a long finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2022 Chardonnay Sanford & Benedict is true to this site's composed elegance and nuance, showing a melange of orchard fruits, bright baking spices and citrus blossoms. The palate is generous yet measured, with a faintly enveloping texture that seamlessly unwinds into a beautiful, refined finish, highlighting the vineyard's river rock stoniness. While not the most flashy or intense iteration of this historic site, its classiness fits right into the Sandhi roster.
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Wine Spectator
Juicy and mouthwatering up front, this white's core of lemon confit, pomelo and lime zest is accented by vibrant acidity. Offers notes of freshly grated ginger, white pepper and orange blossoms on a sleek, precise frame. A hint of oolong tea comes in on the long finish. Drink now. 339 cases made.
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.