2018 Las Arenas Chardonnay, Santa Cruz Mountains

In Burgundy where they have been bottling Chardonnay wines for over 1000 years, there is a tradition of blending multiple Premier Cru Vineyards into one wine simply labeled "1er Cru." Las Arenas, from the foggy, western slopes of the Santa Cruz Mountains, is our version of this. A blend of three standalone vineyard sources: La Marisma Vineyard + Howard Family Vineyard + Bruzzone Vineyard. All three sites are planted on white sandy soils with calcifying marine organisms beneath. All struggle to ripen in this decidedly damp, shady microclimate. This wine is higher pitched than Estero and defined by its brininess. There is fruit character in the wine--sweet & sour things like dragonfruit, starfruit, passionfruit--but it's as though the fruit was all washed in a salt bath.