Grand Reserve Santa Barbara County Chardonnay 2021
Lush tropical fruit, lemon, lime and floral notes intertwines with nice minerality from the calciferous soils in the Santa Maria and Los Alamos Valleys. There is a touch of floral notes from the small amounts of Dijon and Rued clones, and a hint of vanilla and spice to round out the rich, long finish.
Acclaim
2019 Vintage
91 points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous, July 2021
The 2019 Chardonnay Grand Reserve is a selection of top lots mostly in Santa Barbara County, Los Alamos and Santa Maria. Hints of tropical fruit, ginger, spice and flowers make for an airy, mid-weight Chardonnay that offers lovely exoticism and tons of character.
90 points, Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com, July 2021
Coming from sites in Santa Barbara County, the 2019 Chardonnay Grand Reserve is a soft, supple, beautifully pure Chardonnay offering plenty of melon and honeysuckle aromatics, medium body, a rich yet still fresh texture, and a clean, classy finish. It's a rock-solid, outstanding Chardonnay to enjoy over the coming 2-3 years.
2018 Vintage
92 points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous, Mar 2020
The 2018 Chardonnay Grand Reserve is made exclusively from Santa Barbara fruit. Creamy, polished and wonderfully inviting, the 2018 has so much to offer. Bright floral accents from a touch of Musqué Clone Chardonnay add lift to this weightless, supremely expressive cool-climate Chardonnay.
Winemaking
Aged 7 months in 76% French oak, 28% new, with the balance in American oak. This Chardonnay is sur lie aged with lees stirred twice monthly to integrate the fruit and oak, and lend a creamy mouthfeel to balance the wine's bright acidity.
Vineyards
Santa Barbara County is renowned as being one of California’s coolest grape growing regions due to its unique east-west running valleys running along the coast. Santa Barbara’s cool, maritime climate results in a long growing season, with extended hangtime on the vines giving these grapes more balanced ripeness and intense flavors.
All of our estate vineyards are CERTIFIED SUSTAINABLE by the Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing program, as we firmly believe that the highest standards make the best wines.
