Donnachadh Estate Chardonnay 2021 750ml

Fresh and enticing with alluring toasty oak and candied ginger notes nuanced by salted lemon peel. Wonderful satiny citrus and ripe orchard fruit intermix on the richly layered mid-palate, turning more crème brulee and refreshing through the laser-focused, acidy-rich finish. Plenty of tension. Clone 4, 76, Wente, and 548. Foot stomp and barrel fermenters in neutral French oak. Aged on the lees 11 months, all clones are kept separate, blended, and fermented with native yeast and minimal intervention. Co-founders Drew and Laurie Duncan started visiting the Sta. Rita Hills in Santa Barbara County after looking for property in the Anderson Valley and Sonoma Coast. They found what they sought in 2013 and locked into 285 acres along Santa Rosa Road and the Santa Ynez River, east of Sanford & Benedict. They have planted Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah, and Gamay. Their winemaker is Ernst Storm.

• Country: United States
• Region: California
• Appellation: Santa Barbara
• Sub Appellation: Santa Rita Hills
• Size: 750ml
• Color: White

Varietal

Chardonnay

Of all the white wine grape varietals, surely the one that has spread the furthest and is most widely appreciated is Chardonnay. This green-skinned grape is now grown all over the Old and New Worlds, from New Zealand to the Americas, from England to Chile, and is one of the first varietals people think of when considering white wine grapes. Perhaps this is because of its huge popularity, which reached a peak in the 1990s, thanks to new technologies combining with traditional methods to bring the very best features out of the Chardonnay grape and allow its unique qualities to shine through. Most fine Chardonnay wines use a process known as malolactic fermentation, wherein the malic acids in the grape juice are converted to lactic acids, allowing a creamier, buttery nature to come forward in the wine. No grape varietal is better suited to this process than Chardonnay, which manages to balance these silky, creamy notes with fresh white fruit flavors beautifully.