Chardonnay, Sanford & Benedict Vyd, Sta. Rita Hills, 2020

Fine crisp salty stony citrus fruit, very crystalline and precise on the nose - almost Puligny-like, with the a touch of white flower coming through with time. The palate is calm measured and sleek, with a light grip of dry extract, lovely acidity and a sense of clear purity. A fine vein of fresh butter reminds you this is Chardonnay, but the dominant impression at this early juncture is racy fine citrus and polished river stone minerality. Should blossom in bottle. Class. A legendary Santa Rita AVA vineyard first planted in 1971. Sitting on the southern side of the Santa Rosa Hills, it is slightly more sheltered than La Encantada to the west of it and has soils composed of calcium rich clay, fractured shale and diatomaceous earth. Ryan has worked this vineyard since 2010, and pulls fruit from the original 1971 plantings.