Alma Rosa Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay 2021
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James
Suckling -
Wine
Enthusiast
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
This Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay has a light gold color in the glass and a bouquet of verbena, lemon peel, melon and sea breeze that suggest a refreshing, enjoyable wine. On the palate, bright, mouthwatering acid is highlighted by notes of salinity and continues through to an inviting, smooth finish. Minerally flavors of wet stone and ocean gravel blend well with mouthwatering bright citrus flavors.
This wine with pair well with light seafood, such as ceviche, fish tacos, grilled lobster, clams, mussels, and some delicious salty feta.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A pretty and finely made white with sliced apple, lemon rind and a hint of hazelnut. Medium-bodied with bright acidity and nice salinity. Vivid and creamy.
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Wine Enthusiast
Lime pith, struck match and light hints of wet wool show on the nose of this appellation cuvée. There’s a struck-stone minerality on the palate, where round melon and lychee fruit flavors are cut by a precise lemon peel acidity.
Other Vintages
2015-
Wine
Enthusiast -
Robert
Parker
Working in partnership for more than 30 years, Thekla and Richard Sanford founded multiple, successful winegrowing enterprises. Their latest venture, Alma Rosa Winery & Vineyards, represents the culmination of a lifetime's experience – an enterprise dedicated to creating high quality wines and setting a benchmark for organic farming, sustainable agriculture methods, and environment-friendly commerce.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
A superior source of California Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills is the coolest, westernmost sub-region of the larger Santa Ynez Valley appellation within Santa Barbara County. This relatively new AVA is unquestionably one to keep an eye on.
The climate of Sta. Rita Hills is a natural match for Chardonnay and Pinot noir, thanks to the crisp ocean breezes and well-drained, limestone-rich calcareous soil. Here, grapes ripen just enough, while retaining brisk acidity and harmonious balance.