Winemaker Notes
This Santa Maria Valley Chardonnay is crafted from 3 blocks within Bien Nacido vineyard, Block 11, Block I and block W. Each Block is picked separately and at optimal ripeness, is fermented in neutral barrel with native yeast and go through full malo-lactic fermentation. The wine is aged in barrel and stainless steel for a total of 17 months. Extended lees contact, a late bottling, and wonderful vineyard blocks make this wine magic. Breezy, vibrant, and focused, with beautiful linearity, this wine is consistently a favorite to produce.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Scar of the Sea's 2017 Chardonnay Seven Leagues is scented of fleshy Golden Delicious apple and yellow pear, crushed shell, hazelnut, honeysuckle, honey toast and a hint of lime peel. Medium-bodied with a very pretty, creamy texture, it fills the mouth with honeyed fruits and nutty hints punctuated by a great line of minerality, framed by tangy acidity and finishing long and savory.
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Wine Enthusiast
Struck stone, white flowers, warm pastry and light cream elements all play on the complex nose of this appellation blend. There is a lemon-zest snap to the sip, which then warms up toward flaky pastry-dough and sea salt flavors.
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Wine & Spirits
From three blocks of Bien Nacido chardonnay, picked and fermented separately, then blended in barrels and stainless-steel tanks, this is cool and saline. A fine citrusy tang emerges with air (kumquats! said one taster), framing a creamy crème brûlée richness. A svelte pairing for rich white fish, like haddock.
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 lesser-known but elite AVA within the larger Santa Barbara district, the Santa Maria Valley AVA runs precisely west to east starting near the coast. The valley funnels cool, Pacific Ocean air to the vineyards more inland, allowing grapes a longer hang time to ripen evenly and achieve their full potential by harvest time. Combined with minimal rainfall, consistent warm sunshine, and well-drained soils, it is an ideal environment for grape growing.
Many of the wineries here are small and highly respected, having established a reputation in the 1970s and 80s for producing excellent Central Coast wines like Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. More recently, Syrah has also proven quite successful in the region. Many vineyards are owned by growers who sell their grapes to other wineries, so it is common to see the same vineyard name on bottlings from different wineries. Bien Nacido Vineyard is perhaps the best-known and most prestigious.