Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This is typically a mineral-driven style of Chardonnay, and this vintage is no exception. Aromas of crushed limestone, lemon glaze, lime leaf and shiso are fascinating on the nose. A stunning chalky grip surrounds the palate, where an almost sparkling energy zips through lemon peel, grapefruit and light nectarine flavors, with a warmer saltine cracker finish.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Coming from a cool, sandy site not far from the Pacific Ocean, in the Santa Maria Valley, the 2019 Chardonnay Solomon Hills sports a medium gold hue to go with lots of classic orchard fruits, baking spices, and honeyed toast-like aromas and flavors. It's another beautifully balanced, textured, flavorful, lengthy Chardonnay that has classic California cool-climate character.
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Tasting Panel
One of the Central Coast’s coolest sites, this vineyard sits on sandy soil 10 miles from the Pacific. Aromas of butterscotch and bread dough meld with key lime before pineapple and bright pear kickstart the palate to reveal a layer of vanilla angel food cake. As the wine evolves and reins in its leesy, round character, it leads to salty notes of wet stone on the finish. Exquisite
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Decanter
Fresh aromas of white peach, citrus, toast and hazelnut. Exuberant, expressive palate. Abundant sunny fruit, vibrant acidity cuts through the richness. Artfully integrated oak. Buttery, nutty finish.
The Solomon Hills Vineyard was planted by the Miller Family in the late 1990's. Known for pinot noir and chardonnay, Solomon Hills found its tenor early on in its relatively young life among a broad range of talented winemakers who found its vibrant, youthful flavor profile exhilarating, and, at times, profound.
The soils of Solomon Hills Vineyards are composed primarily of ocean derived sandy loams. Because it is the western most vineyard in the Santa Maria Valley appellation, it is the coolest of all vineyards in this growing region. With the Pacific coastline only miles away, a constant maritime influence results in wines of precise acidity, bright fruit and an inherent elegance.
The Solomon Hills Vineyards takes its title from neighboring hills named for Solomon Pico, a celebrated bandit who in the 1850's traveled frequently along the stretch of El Camino Real that is known today as Santa Maria Valley.
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.