Winemaker Notes
The Mae Estate is located in the Sta Rita Hills on Highway 246 in the north, and was planted in 2016. The soils are made up of Tierra Complex and Elder loam with marine sedimentary rock. The chardonnay sits on the lighter soils to the western portions of the vineyard most conducive to chardonnay and expressing the wonderful precision and minerality the Santa Rita Hills can offer.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2022 Chardonnay Mae Estate Vineyard is positively fabulous. It offers a striking mix of mineral-driven tension and textural breadth. There's a notably increasing finesse in this bottling, likely attributable to vine age. White flowers, pepper, crushed rocks, mint and white pepper all race across the palate. This is such a gorgeous wine.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2022 Chardonnay Mae Estate impressively overperforms, considering the youth of its vines. The nose opens on a delicate, understated note that slowly evolves in dimension, introducing a svelte, polished, clean-textured palate. The finish is wonderfully pure and transparent, displaying an alluring, ethereal length framed with pronounced salinity.
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.