Winemaker Notes
The 2013 vintage was an ideal growing season. Spring frost was minimal with warm temperatures throughout the summer allowing the vines to set a beautiful crop and ripen it efficiently. Once harvest began, it was extremely intense and compressed. The warm temperatures throughout the growing season enabled the vines to compress their ripening and what normally became ripe over four weeks was ripe in two.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Lightly colored and decidedly fresh and lively, the 2013 Chardonnay Sanford & Benedict has lots of white flower and juicy citrus notes in its medium-bodied, laser-focused, lively and firm profile. It picks up additional richness with time in the glass, and like all of Justin's whites, it doesn't have much baby fat and really leans toward the fresher, edgy end of the spectrum. Rating: 91+
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.