Estate Vineyard Chardonnay 2018

In Burgundy, all the best things are found in the middle (like the Grand Cru vineyards, which zig and zag mid-slope between lesser ones). It’s just the opposite in Santa Barbara, where greatness lies at the extremes. Scan a map of the California coast — Santa Barbara County is the knee juts out into the Pacific just above Los Angeles. This makes it a special and dynamic place for growing cool-climate Chardonnay — a cymbal crash of desert sun and middle-of-the-ocean air. The grapes for this estate bottling are sourced entirely from the winery’s 73-acre certified sustainable estate vineyard, which features uniquely sandy soils and a strong marine influence. The wine is aged for 11 months in French oak (10% new). Prior to bottling it spends 6 months in stainless steel.