Clear medium straw with a trace of spritzy haze. Clean neutral tropical with a bit of grassy funk, sweet pear covers papaya, pine-pitch and kiwi as the roundness and earth of newsprint pulls up hints of butter and richness. Also, these new labels are really speaking to me–I loved the old wildlife renderings, but if you’ve ever seen inside my house you know I own a LOT of *trees* in my art collection. I know I don’t say much about labels: mostly because a lot of you BUY wine BECAUSE of the label, but I DO notice (especially when they’re REALLY horrible) but PROMISE they do not affect my judgement of contents. This new series is awesome–but we’re here to talk about wine.
And boy-oh-boy, is this a blazing Chardonnay. The nectar inherent of the grape flows effortlessly across the tongue, stung by shards of acid and crisp citrus minerality. Rich blonde-meated stonefruit fills the palate, with plenty of bitter briary angst backing it up. Sweet chalkiness bides calmly under pepper and heat, creating tangy root-beer spiciness far into the finish. Quite Chablis-like: structured and abrasive in all the right places while serendipitously coating the mouth with California affection.
Another stunning effort from one of the unsung brands making small lots of Central Coast wine. You NEED to check out these wines. If you find yourself–as I do–saying “I like this, but…” A LOT, these wines will abbreviate that sentence. WAIT TIL YOU SEE THE PRICE!
2020 BOLT TO Chardonnay Santa Rita Hills Santa Barbara Co. 14.0
Stephen McConnell 