Sea Smoke Chardonnay Sta. Rita Hills 2021

Our estate-grown Chardonnay fruit was picked and hand-sorted in the vineyard before spending the night in our cold room. Chilled grapes were softly pressed and the juice was gently pumped into a stainless steel tank and cold settled. Once the heavy solids were removed, the juice was racked to a stainless steel fermenter, then inoculated for primary fermentation. Following primary fermentation, the wine was racked to barrels, inoculated for malolactic fermentation, then periodically stirred to enhance depth and mouthfeel. Sea Smoke Chardonnay was aged for a total of 10 months prior to bottling with no fining and no filtration.

An elegant Chardonnay with aromas of Meyer lemon zest, fresh-cut melon and honeycomb. The nose is complemented by mandarin and a slight nuttiness in the focused mid-palate and the refreshing cool climate acidity of their estate vineyard. Barrel aged in French oak (24% new).