These wines are extremely limited
There’s only so much to spare of these wines as most of their case production is allocated to the current or upcoming Wine Club, so be sure to act fast.

Hello Everyone:

Chardonnay is undeniably one of the great wine grapes in the world. It is often considered the winemaker’s grape, for it can be grown in many places and made into any number of styles successfully. We are, however, classicists. For us, there are a few magical spots in the world that have the right combination of soils and climate to grow what we think are the highest quality versions of white wine made. Burgundy, of course, is one such place. Increasingly, we find that some spots in the cool to cold Sta. Rita Hills are perfect for growing this sort of “Burgundian” Chardonnay, the kind that marries explosive beautiful fruits to perfect natural acidity and a sense of place-based minerality (aka terroir).

It has been our mission for 20 years to seek out the best grapes in Santa Barbara County to make the finest wines possible from our beautiful backyard. Chardonnay, particularly from the cooler portions of Sta. Rita Hills, stood out as just such a “best of”, and we had no choice but to find the best growers and sites for our Chardonnay program. These are them. We source the best blocks and carefully monitor each of them until perfect ripeness. Then we harvest with field sorting in cool morning hours. The grapes are brought back to the winery and gently pressed to tank, where they are then settled overnight before transferring to the highest quality French oak barrels for fermentation by native years, spontaneous ML in barrel (a percentage of which is new) and long aging sur lie without stirring. The wines are then raised (élevage) for 15-20 months in barrel before bottling.

As with Pinot Noirs, we sometimes blend for complexity, personality and dynamism, but we also make single vineyard wines when the wines perfectly capture the character of the site in a complete and harmonious wine. 2023, with its long, slow evolution allowed each site to show itself. These wines were a joy to taste in barrels and a blast to combine for these singular wines. So here they are…

New Chardonnay Release – the 2023s

2023 was a very cool year, which gave the Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay grapes an extraordinarily long time on the vine. Chardonnays were all picked in early to mid-October. Grape condition was excellent despite having to battle powdery mildew throughout the year. Quality was excellent, with similar numbers (brix, pH, TA) to the great 2021. We expect that these wines will age very well for 10+ years.

The wines have not yet been reviewed, but we expect similar critical acclaim as the 2022 wines enjoyed last year (95-100 points from various critics).

** NB: For Wine Club Members: The 2023 Chardonnay Rita’s Crown will be a wine club wine (Spring 2026 Shipment). Only a small amount will be available for purchase now. Of course, joining the Wine Club guarantees access to this special wine.

2023 Chardonnay, Rita’s Crown Vineyard **WINE CLUB Wine – Spring 2026

Rita’s Crown sits majestically at some of the highest elevations in the Sta. Rita Hills (up to 850 feet). It has been expertly farmed (certified organic, with some biodynamic principles) for several years by the exacting Sea Smoke team. Our blocks are located on very steep, south and southwest facing hillsides of clay and silty clay loam with abundant diatomaceous earth. The mighty pacific sends daily fog and intense afternoon winds to this high elevation site, which is perched over the Santa Ynez River as it meanders toward its terminus at Surf Beach.

The Chardonnay in these blocks typically produce very low yields from a small canopy. In 2023 yields were a miniscule 1.98-2.71 tons per acre. These lower yields and a long cool season result in ripeness at incredibly strong acid levels. In 2023 the final, post full malolactic fermentation pH was 3.41, with TA of 6.5, which is remarkable for grapes picked in the middle of October.

The 2023 wine fermented by native yeasts in top quality French oak barrels, 40% new. The resulting wine went through native malolactic fermentation in barrel and was aged for 18 months on its lees, without stirring, before selection, blending and bottling.

Not yet rated. 2022 version was 96 Points Antonio Galloni

Extremely Limited; only 230 cases produced.

2023 Chardonnay, Radian Vineyard

Radian vineyard is located at the far western edge of the Sta. Rita Hills on dramatically steep slopes with large amounts of diatomaceous earth. Lovingly farmed by the team at the Hilt/Jonata led by Matt Dees and the grape whisperer himself, Ruben Solarzano, the vineyard is a testament to vision, courage and perseverence.  Radian is wild & wooly, regularly blanketed by fog and buffeted by high, often gale force winds. The Chardonnay vines here struggle to set fruit, and the resulting grapes are extremely low yielding, with thick skins, highly concentrated flavors and relatively low sugars. The resulting wines are lean and intense, with a powerful sense of minerals, incisive acidity, and tremendous length.

Our block of Chardonnay (34B) faces directly west, facing the mighty, powerful Pacific Ocean on a steep hill (cliff?) at about 400 feet elevation. With a direct path, the winds batter this site most of the day each day, save for the early morning hours.  We are amazed that vines can live on these steep foreboding hillsides. Mostly there is only chaparral and poison oak up here!

In 2023 yields were sufficient (barely) to allow us to bottle a small run of 70 cases (and to provide grapes for the Black Label Chardonnay). The 2023 wine was barrel-fermented by native yeasts in top quality French oak barrels, two-thirds of which was once-used. The resulting wine went through full native malolactic fermentation in barrel and was aged for 16 months on its lees, without stirring, before selection, blending and bottling. The wine is racy, mineral driven and incredibly long. We love it, and we can only hope that this crazy block of vines will keep producing in future years.

Extremely Limited. Only 70 Cases Produced.

2023 Chardonnay, Bentrock Vineyard

Bentrock Vineyard is the sister vineyard to Radian, located at the far western edge of the Sta. Rita Hills. Slightly lower in elevation than Radian, and a little warmer from slightly less wind, the vineyard features clay and chert in its rocky, north facing Chardonnay blocks. The Chardonnay here is truly exceptional, among the best anywhere, with mighty fruit components balanced by dramatic, powerful acidity.  It is the best of both worlds and it has been the backbone of the Black Label program for years.

In 2023 yields were sufficient (barely) to allow us (for the first time ever) to bottle a small run of 70 cases (and to provide grapes for the Black Label Chardonnay). The 2023 wine was barrel fermented by native yeasts in top quality French oak barrels, 33% new. The resulting wine went through full native malolactic fermentation in barrel, arriving at a finished pH of 3.28 with 6.6 g/l ta. These are extraordinary, dare we say Burgundian numbers. The wine was aged for 16 months on its lees, without stirring, before selection, blending and bottling. The wine is intensely driven, with middleweight tropical and green fruit flavors, a powerful mineral spine, and a whiplash of incisive acidity. Incredibly long, we are just blown away by this wine.

Extremely Limited. Only 70 Cases Produced.

2023 Chardonnay, Black Label 

This wine is a blend of our most dramatic and powerful Chardonnay barrels from the vintage. In 2023, the Black Label is comprised of grapes from three of the most extreme, wind-battered, sites in Sta. Rita Hills (or anywhere for that matter): rocky, windswept Bentrock (50%), salty, windy Radian (33%) and steep, diatomaceous Rita’s Crown (17%). These difficult sites produce small clusters of thick skinned, tiny berry Chardonnay that has massive concentration, but also very high acids and a resounding mineral streak. The 2023 wine was fermented and aged on its lees in French oak barriques (83% new) with malolactic fermentation occurring spontaneously in barrel, and a finished pH of 3.34, with a TA of 6.8 g/L. The intensity of the wine marries perfectly with the very high quality, 30+ month air dried, medium long toasted flagship barrels from such renowned coopers as Rousseau, Damy & Seguin Moreau. The resulting wine is aged for 18 months on its lees without stirring, before selection, blending and bottling.

While the oak is certainly present, its job is to support and coddle the immediate and dramatic, deep, concentrated aromas and flavors of ripe yellow, white and green fruits, and to provide hints of brioche and baking spices to mingle with the intense chalk and graphite minerals. The wine has spectacular structure and an amazingly complex finish that lasts for minutes.

Past vintages have been extremely highly rated (2022 was 96, 95+, 95; 2021 was 100, 97). This one is up there.

Extremely Limited – Only 150 cases produced.

Notes on Ordering

As we alluded to earlier, 2023 was a very low yielding year for Chardonnay.  We have a very small amount of Rita’s Crown to offer now, and there is very little Radian, Bentrock or Black Label period. They will not be around long.

We are in the summer shipping season now. Orders to the west coast can usually be shipped much of the summer with AM delivery (business addresses preferred). Other areas of the country close down for ground shipping usually until Sept/Oct. We are happy to hold your wine until things cool down in the Fall. Or, if wines are needed sooner, please contact us about expedited shipping options.

Cheers & Enjoy!