Description
The 2021 Chardonnay Sanford & Benedict Vineyard leads with a fantastically pure, classically structured nose of yellow orchard fruits, spring flowers, river rocks and hints of almond skin and marshmallows. The palate is the most elegant of the Chardonnay offerings, trading in some of the textural richness found in the La Rinconada bottlings for an even-keeled, understated seamlessness. The finish is long, harmonious and ethereal, a stellar combination in any Chardonnay but one that feels particularly suited to this site and the recently refined winemaking at Sanford.
- Country: United States
- Region: California
- Appellation: Santa Barbara
- Sub Appellation: Santa Rita Hills
- Size: 750ml
- Color: White
Varietal
Chardonnay
Of all the white wine grape varietals, surely the one that has spread the furthest and is most widely appreciated is Chardonnay. This green-skinned grape is now grown all over the Old and New Worlds, from New Zealand to the Americas, from England to Chile, and is one of the first varietals people think of when considering white wine grapes. Perhaps this is because of its huge popularity, which reached a peak in the 1990s, thanks to new technologies combining with traditional methods to bring the very best features out of the Chardonnay grape and allow its unique qualities to shine through. Most fine Chardonnay wines use a process known as malolactic fermentation, wherein the malic acids in the grape juice are converted to lactic acids, allowing a creamier, buttery nature to come forward in the wine. No grape varietal is better suited to this process than Chardonnay, which manages to balance these silky, creamy notes with fresh white fruit flavors beautifully.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.