Wine & Spirits - October 2021 - 50

Year's Best US Chardonnay
directly from the old vines of Bien Nacido,
elegant and on point, with a caramelly finish.
-P.J.C. (800 cases) §
only to broaden into a fine, caramelized pear
flavor, the richness streamlined, focused and
delicious. -P.J.C. §
93 | Lindquist Family
$50
2019 Sta. Rita Hills Christy & Wise Vineyard
Chardonnay ^ Christy and Wise is on
the western end of the Sta. Rita Hills appellation,
adjacent to the Duvarita Vineyard. Bob
Lindquist takes this wine to a savory realm
with its smoky lees scent and nutty, caramelized
apple flavors, and plenty of green apple
tension. For all of the perceived weight, it's
firm enough for pork. -P.J.C. §
91 | Tread
93 | Testarossa
$40
2019 Santa Maria Valley Sierra Madre
Vineyard Chardonnay ^ Savory from the getgo,
with hazelnut, ginger and caramel scents
adorning apple and pear fruit, this is a warm
wine even as it's reserved and elegant-ready
to take on a creamy pasta. -P.J.C. (276 cases) §
STA. RITA HILLS
95 | Chanin
$50
2019 Sta. Rita Hills Sanford & Benedict
Vineyard Chardonnay ^ Tasting this wine,
from old vines at the Sta. Rita Hill's oldest
vineyard, is a good reminder of how well-situated
this vineyard is, between the cool oceanic
edge and the warmer inland valleys-
cool and sunny, exposed and protected. The
wine itself feels open, airy, proportioned,
detailed: Smelling this chardonnay is like
walking into a beautiful, airy room. Then the
flavors are elusive and comfortable at once,
ranging from apple and pear nectar to nutty
lees, a hint of oak and a dustiness that broadens
the wine. The fruit richness is counterbalanced
by a pleasing persistent energy. It's
tense and structured with mid-weight energy
and drive. -P.J.C. (250 cases) §
93 | Deovlet
$45
2019 Sta. Rita Hills Sanford & Benedict
Vineyard Chardonnay ^ Deovlet's Sanford
& Benedict bottling took two days to reveal
itself, starting low and lean, with tense,
dusty aromatics and flavors set in the distance.
With air the wine blossomed, becoming
more floral and more marine in its aromatics,
the palate not so much about fruit as
mouthwatering succulence. it's got the stuff
to age. -P.J.C. §
93 | Fess Parker
$44
2019 Sta. Rita Hills Sanford & Benedict
Chardonnay ^ Sanford & Benedict through
the sumptuous lens of Fess-Parker style, this
gives a rich and caramelly first impression,
50
92 | Au Bon Climat
$40
2018 Sta. Rita Hills Historic Vineyards
Col lection Sanford & Benedict Vineyard
Chardonnay ^ Having sourced grapes from
Sanford & Benedict for more than 30 vintages,
Jim Clendenen knew the property better
than most. His 2018 is all flint and pineapple
at the outset, more about its structure
than any one flavor component and yet it's
thrillingly lean and well-built, needing time
in the cellar to knit. Then decant for roast
chicken. -P.J.C. §
$53
2019 Sta. Rita Hills La Rinconada Vineyard
Chardonnay ^ Testarossa manages to get
a fair bit of body out of its Sta. Rita sources.
This one, La Rinconada, smells like pineapple-upside-down
cake, and would be over the
top if not for the racy, penetrating acids that
support all that weight. An impressive feat.
For chicken sausages. -P.J.C. (456 cases) §
92 | Alma Rosa
$30
2018 Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay (BEST
BUY) ^ Scents of toasted nuts and wheat berries
adorn pineapple and some floral notes-
all of it delivered with a tense freshness that
the region provides. It's a well-priced white
for summer pouring. -P.J.C. §
92 | Au Bon Climat
$60
2017 Sta. Rita Hills Sanford & Benedict
Vineyard Chardonnay ^ Currently, this wine
is more open and bright than its counterpart
from 2018, its scent hinting at an oxidative
creaminess with nutty, caramelly overtones.
The flavors suggest pineapple and a hint of
honey, with a persistent acidity that will carry
the wine for many years to come. -P.J.C. §
92 | Deovlet
$45
2019 Sta. Rita Hills Zotovich Family Vineyard
Chardonnay ^ Deovlet's Zotovich bottling
reflects the purity and lean minerality
the sandy site often affords, framing rich, citrus
fruit notes and a fine-grained texture. It's
well built for roast whole fish. -P.J.C. §
92 | Gary Farrell
$55
2018 Sta. Rita Hills La Rinconada Vineyard
Chardonnay ^ From a vineyard planted
in 1997 adjacent to Sanford & Benedict, this
wine has the salty, foggy funk of the Pacific,
with earthy elements of sour rye. The texture
is supple and round, enveloping the wine's
complexities, setting it up for sautéed wild
mushrooms on toasted country bread. -J.G. §
92 | Liquid Farm
$74
2017 Sta. Rita Hills Four Chardonnay ^ Liquid
Farm's flagship chardonnay is a blend
from four vineyards: Bentrock, Spear, La
Rinconada, and Rita's Crown. It's as rich as
white chocolate when first poured, but with
air turns leaner, smoky and fine-boned, turning
on green apple acidity but with plenty of
oak to frame the texture. It has the stuff to
age well. -P.J.C. (100 cases) §
92 | Liquid Farm
$45
2018 Sta. Rita Hills White Hill Chardonnay
^ White Hill, a barrel selection from Sta.
Rita Hills fruit, is reductive at first, the flavors
nutty and a bit dusty, all the work of some
long-deceased yeasts. The golden-apple flavors
have a mildly sour note, but wine's savor
saves it, adding a floral quality and a lasting
grip. -P.J.C. (900 cases) §
WINE & SPIR IT S Oc TO b ER 2021
https://www.treadwines.com https://www.garyfarrellwinery.com/wines/ https://www.aubonclimat.com/product/2018-Chardonnay-Sanford---Benedict-Vineyard
Wine & Spirits - October 2021

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