Winemaker Notes
This Chardonnay has gorgeous, bright orchard fruit, citrus, flowers, and tangerines. The very seductive aromas inform the palate which is silky, savory and wonderfully fresh.
The 2019 will pair better with lighter, simpler fare and is open, charming and delicious.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2019 Chardonnay Sta. Rita Hills is blended from both of Sanford's estate vineyards, Sanford & Benedict and La Rinconada, each planted to a wide variety of clonal selections. Barrel fermented, it underwent full malolactic conversion and was matured for 11 months in 25% new French oak. The nose features poached pears, baker's yeast, almonds and stone with citrus blossom perfume. The medium-bodied palate surprises with its depth of flavor and savory accents, with a silky, fresh frame and an anchoring touch of texture on the finish.
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Wine Enthusiast
Lightly buttered pastry, blanched almond and sea-salt aromas are very clean and compelling on the nose of this bottling. The palate is superfresh and delicate yet with zesty acidity, carrying lime and grapefruit-pith flavors with a hint of butter in the background.
Editors' Choice -
Jeb Dunnuck
The 2019 Chardonnay Sta. Rita Hills is the larger production release from the estate, and it's well worth seeking out. Stone fruits, white flowers, melon, and a kiss of salty mineral all emerge from this medium-bodied effort, and it's nicely textured, with integrated acidity and a great finish. Readers looking to understand the style of Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay can’t go wrong with this.
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Wine Spectator
Appealing for the intensity to the peach sorbet, lemongrass and lemon meringue pie flavors, with a touch of salted roasted cashew 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.