Winemaker Notes
The old chardonnay vines are planted on a gently north leaning knoll and in close proximity to the Pacific. The combination of old vines, cool ocean air, fog, and marine soil create a wine of complexity unrivaled in the Santa Rita Hills.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Chardonnay Sanford & Benedict Vineyard is aromatically nuanced, with singular floral tones, white peaches, honey and toast aromas that continually change as it airs in the glass. The palate begins tangy and saline, with soft citrus and meringue emerging as it glides through the mouth, and the long finish is driven by refreshing acidity that calls you in for another sip.
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Decanter
Tyler Winery is fortunate to have access to some of the most prized fruit in Santa Barbara County, and none more-so than the original, own-rooted Chardonnay vines at Sanford & Benedict Vineyard. This is as definitive, complex, and pleasurable as it gets for Chardonnay from this vineyard, showing a combination of stone and orchard fruits melded with a taught, firm, mineral structure, all framed with an earthy, moss-like note. Aged for 10 months in 500l barrique, 15% of it new.
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.