Winemaker Notes
Enticing aromas of grilled peach, Meyer lemon, toasted hazelnuts greet the nose. The bright fruit and honey comb palate is nicely framed by crisp acidity and rich texture which carries to a long, clean finish.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Mellow aromas of Asian pear, butter-fried apple and a bit of canned pear show on the nose of this appellation blend. The compelling aspect is the grippy palate, which is taut in a chalky tension that presents flavors of sea salt, Pink Lady apple and red pear.
Editors' Choice -
Jeb Dunnuck
Starting with the 2017 Chardonnay Sta. Rita Hills Estate, it comes from the Sanford & Benedict and La Rinconada Vineyards and was aged in 20% new French oak. It offers a terrific bouquet of stone fruits, melon, honeysuckle, and spice, with just a hint of salty minerality. It's medium-bodied, has a balanced, elegant style, nicely integrated acidity, and is as classy Chardonnay. It should also evolve nicely for 4-5 years.
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James Suckling
Starting with the 2017 Chardonnay Sta. Rita Hills Estate, it comes from the Sanford & Benedict and La Rinconada Vineyards and was aged in 20% new French oak. It offers a terrific bouquet of stone fruits, melon, honeysuckle, and spice, with just a hint of salty minerality. It's medium-bodied, has a balanced, elegant style, nicely integrated acidity, and is as classy Chardonnay. It should also evolve nicely for 4-5 years.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Chardonnay Sta. Rita Hills was barrel fermented and aged eight months in about 20% new oak. It has a very toasty nose with gunflint hints over baked yellow apple, white peach, pastry crust, lemon meringue and banana chip. Medium to full-bodied, it has a good core of toasty/savory fruits, with juicy acidity and a long 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.