Rusack Santa Maria Valley Bien Nacido Chardonnay 2017
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Jeb
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Winemaker Notes
Long before Chardonnay was widely produced throughout the United States, a small band of vintners from Santa Maria were experimenting with this classic varietal. They discovered that Santa Maria’s long, cool growing season and maritime influences create Chardonnays of greater dimension. Our Reserve reflects these qualities, and is tinged with the vibrant scents of ripe stone fruits, Meyer lemon, and orange zest.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
More minerality, salinity, and toasty notes emerge from the 2017 Chardonnay Bien Nacido, which comes from a brilliant site in Santa Maria and was brought up in 59% new French oak. Balanced, medium to full-bodied, with integrated acidity and a great finish, it's beautiful wine I'd be thrilled to drink. It should keep for 7-8 years.
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Wine Enthusiast
Aromas of peach compote on toast, honeysuckle and lemongrass make for a very fresh and floral nose on this bottling from the historic vineyard. A chalky mouthfeel frames flavors of seared lemon and roasted peach.
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Wine Spectator
Big, filled with smoky accents to the well-knit and focused flavors of white berry, Fuji apple and Asian pear. Savory notes show midpalate, offering a long, spicy finish has delivers pure and engaging minerality. Drink now through 2025. 512 cases made.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Chardonnay Bien Nacido Vineyard is scented of gunflint and toast to begin, giving way to lemon peel, white peach and baked apple, then fleshing out to toasted almond, white blossoms and spring honey. Medium-bodied, it has lots of toasty fruit on offer in the mouth with tangy acidity to counter and a long, nutty finish. <b>Rating: 91+</b>
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Connoisseurs' Guide
Fully ripe, but sporting an exuberant sense of youthful freshness, this very well-composed bottling strikes an especially fine balance between fruity richness and spry acidity with a nicely moderated trim of sympathetic, slightly caramelly oak always in view. It is a wine that is sure to age effortlessly for several years, yet its agility and its keen integration make it one that is immensely appealing right now.
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Rusack was established in 1995 by Geoff Rusack and Alison Wrigley Rusack with a commitment to creating world-class wines. In the years since then, this dedication to quality has meant some dramatic changes at the winery.
The most visible change is in the vineyard. Following the 2001 harvest, many of the original vines were pulled out and replanted under the guidance of winemaker John Falcone. Utilizing cutting edge technology and taking advantage of Ballard Canyon’s unique terroir, varieties to be grown were carefully chosen and limited to those clones best suited to the microclimate. Syrah, Sangiovese, and Sauvignon Blanc have been planted, along with smaller lots of Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot to be blended into the renowned "Anacapa."
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 lesser-known but elite AVA within the larger Santa Barbara district, the Santa Maria Valley AVA runs precisely west to east starting near the coast. The valley funnels cool, Pacific Ocean air to the vineyards more inland, allowing grapes a longer hang time to ripen evenly and achieve their full potential by harvest time. Combined with minimal rainfall, consistent warm sunshine, and well-drained soils, it is an ideal environment for grape growing.
Many of the wineries here are small and highly respected, having established a reputation in the 1970s and 80s for producing excellent Central Coast wines like Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. More recently, Syrah has also proven quite successful in the region. Many vineyards are owned by growers who sell their grapes to other wineries, so it is common to see the same vineyard name on bottlings from different wineries. Bien Nacido Vineyard is perhaps the best-known and most prestigious.