2015 Chardonnay Sierra Madre Vineyard
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Tasting notes
The 2015 Chardonnay Sierra Madre Vineyard is powerful and intense, but it suffers from elevated ripeness, pronounced alcohol and too much new oak, all of which obscure the personality of this Santa Maria site. This is in an especially blowsy style that seems ill-suited to the personality of the site.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
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The 2015 Chardonnay Sierra Madre Vineyard has intense pink grapefruit and lemon curd notes with hints of cedar, allspice and orange blossoms, plus a waft of baking bread. Medium to full-bodied, it offers a racy line of acid cutting through the rich, satin-textured citrus flavors, finishing on a savory note.
The first vintage for this cuvée it was created with the idea to improve the quality of the single vineyard. The 2015 Chardonnay Santa Maria Valley is a stunning value that offers classic buttered stone fruits, toasted nuts and honeysuckle in a rich, texture, balanced style. It way over delivers at the price and is a terrific wine. It’s one of the larger production releases as well (536 cases), so hopefully you can find a few bottles. I raved about these wines last year (the first vintage), and I’m thrilled to report that the latest releases are every bit as good. The Pinot Noir and Syrah comes from the John Sebastiano Vineyard in the Sta. Rita Hills, and the Chardonnays from the Sierra Madre Vineyard in the Santa Maria Valley. The wines are made by Paul Lato, so the quality should surprise no one.