- Certified Organic
- 100% Chardonnay
- La Rinconada Vineyard (Sta. Rita Hills AVA)
- First certified organic vineyard in Santa Barbara County
- Located immediately west of Sanford & Benedict Vineyard
- Predominantly clay and loam topsoil
- Indigenous yeast fermentation in 500L Puncheon
- Aged 10 months in puncheon, 6 months in stainless steel tank
- 128 cases produced
- 13% abv
Info
Producer:
Vintage:
2021
Country:
United States
Region:
California
Appellation:
Sta. Rita Hills
Variety:
Chardonnay
Color:
White
Farming Practice:
Sustainable
Sizes Available
| Full Bottle | US-SDH-35-21 | 12/750ml |
Press & Reviews
James Suckling
Score
95
Date
2023-05-09
Wine Advocate
Score
95+
Date
2023-12-29
"The 2021 Chardonnay Rinconada Vineyard outperforms the Sanford & Benedict Chardonnay this vintage. It has singular aromas of grilled peaches, panna cotta, toast and wafts of matchstick, its detail and layering drawing me back to the glass again and again. The light-bodied palate has a core of mineral-driven fruit that, combined with the wine's tangy acidity, creates a shimmery impression. It has a long, latent finish and won't reach its full potential until it's had several years in bottle to unwind."
John Gilman
Score
94
Date
2023-11-09
"Lying just to the west of fabled Sanford and Benedict Vineyard, the Rinconada Vineyard was the first certified organic vineyard in the Santa Rita Hills. The 2021 Rinconada chardonnay comes in at an even thirteen percent in this vintage and is again, just a touch reductive when first poured and in need of a bit of decanting time if drinking young. Once it has had a chance to stretch its wings, it shows a beautiful aromatic panoply of fresh pineapple, pear, a hint of passion fruit, discreet notes of iodine, a fine base of soil tones and just a touch of oak influence. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied, focused and complex, with lovely mid-palate depth of fruit, fine transparency and grip, bouncy acids and a long, succulent and impeccably balanced finish. This is gorgeous this year! 2023-2040."
Wine and Spirits
Score
94
Date
2024-01-19
"Sashi Moorman,s interpretation of La Rinconada vineyard is super smoky when first poured, leading with scents of lime pith and lemon zest. With air, a pure apple-like fruit emerges. For all the fruit expression there,s mineral intensity here, pithy and electric, which broadens the texture and provides lift and length."
Vinous
Score
93
Date
2023-09-09
Wine Spectator
Score
93
Date
2023-07-31
REVIEWS FROM PAST VINTAGES
2022
James Suckling
Score
95
Date
2024-11-13
"Lovely richness and ripeness are balanced by great acidity and elements of minerals, toast and chalk in this creamy-textured wine. Honey, graham cracker, toasted almond and vanilla bean flavors seem to pour out of the glass. Drink or hold."
2022
Vinous
Score
94
Date
2024-08-15
"The 2022 Chardonnay La Rinconada airy, gracious and expansive at first, with lovely understated richness to back it up. Citrus confit, apricot, chamomile and lightly honeyed notes fill out the layers. A touch of oiliness extends the finish effortlessly."
2022
Wine Advocate
Score
94+
Date
2024-10-10
"The 2022 Chardonnay Rinconada Vineyard is a beautiful expression of this site, which consistently produces some of the region's most compelling Chardonnay. The nose is extroverted and oceanic, chock-full of saline-tinged aromas such as seashells, low tide and kelp that hover over a textured richness. The palate is roundly textured and impressively focused, slingshotting into a blazingly bright and layered finish propelled by intense minerality without austerity. It's one of the finer renditions of this site."
2022
Wine Enthusiast
Score
94
Date
2024-08-01
"Flinty aromas of struck stone make for a mineral-driven nose on this bo[1]tling, which is also layered in yuzu, cherimoya and jicama scents on the nose. There's an extreme minerality to the palate, where that flinty tone saddles up against lime-splashed jicama flavors. —M.K. y. —M.K."
2022
Wine Spectator
Score
93
Date
2023-05-03
"Shows a savory thread of honeycomb, saline and a hint of flint to the mouthwatering core of lemon curd, with details of pomelo and green apple skin and abundant aromatic notes of lemon verbena and lemongrass. Picks up a hint of lanolin on the savory finish. Drink now. —M.W."