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      • The Wines of Abruzzo Undergo a Renaissance of Quality
      • Ketcham Estate, Exceptional Wines From The Heart of the Russian River Valley
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      • Vega Sicilia Celebrates 40 Years of Winemaking Excellence
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    • 2021 Articles >
      • Make Merry With Domaine Bousquet Sparkling Wines
      • Discover These Enchanting Italian Wines, From the Fog of Piedmont to the Island Breezes of Sardinia
      • Rodney Strong Vineyards and Winery, Revitalizing an Iconic Brand
      • Thanksgiving Tips for the Best Wine and Food Pairing
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      • The Opulent and Thrilling Wines of Denner Vineyards
      • L’Ecole No. 41, Expressive Wines That Pass the Test of Time With Flying Colors
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    • 2020 Articles >
      • Margerum Wine Company, the Nexus of Sublime Santa Barbara County Wines
      • Catena Zapata, Malbec on High
      • Long Meadow Ranch, the Circle of Life in a Glass of Wine
      • Fontanafredda Barolo Forges a New Future
      • Bordeaux Wine 2017, Surprises in a Challenging Vintage
    • 2019 Articles >
      • The Rising Wine Country of Southern Oregon's Rogue Valley
      • Discover Ashland and the Rogue Valley, Southern Oregon's Serenade to the Good Life
      • Napa Valley Grille, New Fall Menu Paired with European Wines
      • Embrace Your Wine Geek with PRIE Winery & Vineyards
      • Castello di Albola, Chianti Classico on High
      • Nicolas-Jay Wines, the Journey of a Lifetime
      • The Expanding Complexity of New Zealand Wine
      • Prosecco DOC, Splendor in the Glass
      • On the Oregon Wine Trail
      • Albariño and Rioja Star in Spain’s Great Match
      • Exciting and Eclectic, the Wines of Alentejo
      • Blaufränkisch Propels the Red Wines of Austria Into the Spotlight
      • Fascinating Greek Wines of the Cava Spiliadis Collection
      • Revolution In Rioja Wine
    • 2018 Articles >
      • Temecula Valley Celebrates 50 Years of Winemaking
      • The Stellar Wines of Sardinia
      • Italian Wines Prescribed by Doctor Wine
      • The Alluring Wines of Tunisia
      • Gambero Rosso’s Top Italian Wines for 2018
      • Velenosi Wines, From Le Marche to the World
      • Sauvignon Blanc, a Rising Star in Napa Valley
      • Frank Family Vineyards Celebrates 25 Years
      • Markus Wine Co., Sleek New Red Wines Up the Ante for Lodi Reds
      • Lodi Wine, Over 100 Varieties Strong
      • Ramona Valley Wine Country, an Up and Coming Wine Region
      • Hertelendy Vineyards, the Pursuit of Excellence
      • Napa Valley Wine, Nirvana in a Bottle
      • Wine Stroll: Explore Downtown Paso Robles Wineries
      • The Beautiful Shades of Lodi Rosé Wines
      • Doubling Down on Gold Medal Wines: The San Francisco International Wine Competition
      • The Exotic Wines of Lebanon
      • Australian Wines, Rediscover the New Frontier
      • New Zealand Wines, Expanding beyond Sauvignon Blanc
      • Visit France in 2018, a Feast of Food, Wine, Culture and History
      • Bordeaux Wine 2015, A Very Good Year
      • Portugal's Treasure Chest of Wines
      • Livermore Valley, California’s Original Wine Country Reborn
      • Concannon and Wente Vineyards, California’s Pioneers of Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay
      • Livermore Valley Wine Country, the Future Looks Bright
    • 2017 Articles >
      • Viña Ardanza Rioja Turns 75, an Enchanting Wine Gets Even Better
      • The VIP Sparkle of Prosecco Superiore
      • Lodi Wine Country, Seriously Good Wine From A to Z
      • Lodi Wine Country, Old Vines and Great Wines
      • Lodi Wine Country, Winegrowers and Winemakers Focused on the Future
      • Lugana White Wine, Better With Age
      • Santa Barbara Winemakers Road Trip to LA
      • Sweetzer Cellars, a Life Changing Journey of Wine
      • Lugana and Valpolicella, the Yin and Yang of the Veneto
      • Three R’s of Summer Wine, Rosé, Riesling, and Ramato
      • Familia Martínez Bujanda, Wines Without Borders
      • Codorníu Cava, the Ars and Anna Collection
      • New and Exciting Wines from the 2017 Santa Barbara Vintners Spring Weekend Celebration
      • Sensual Delights on Display at Savor Italy Los Angeles
      • Pizza and Franco Pepe, Italy’s Best Comes to LA
      • Montes Wines, Wisdom in Wine From Father to Son
      • Passionate Pinot Noir Lovers Unite at the 2017 World of Pinot
      • Vignalta, Wines of the Highest Order
      • Santa Lucia Highlands Sensational Wines
      • Gambero Rosso’s Top Italian Wines for 2017
      • Law Estate Wines: Quality by Design
      • Taittinger and Calvisius: Champagne and Caviar Dreams
      • Riding High on American Rhone Wines, The Rhone Rangers LA Tasting
      • Discover Monterey Wine Country, wine and so much more
      • Wines of Portugal, the Perfect Dinner Companion
      • Gruet's Enchanting Sparkling Wines
    • 2016 Articles >
      • The Art of Italian Living, SoCal Style
      • Wines of Alsace: Perfect for the Holidays
      • Oso Libre Winery; Vines, Wines, and Angus Beef
      • Best Wines for Thanksgiving
      • Simply Italian Great Wines US Tour Sweeps Through Los Angeles
      • Santa Barbara Winemakers Road Trip: Chardonnay
      • Santa Barbara Winemakers Road Trip: Pinot Noir
      • Santa Barbara Winemakers Road Trip: Rhône Varietals
      • Santa Barbara Winemakers Road Trip: Bordeaux Varietals
      • Achaval-Ferrer, Exceptional Wines from Argentina
      • Celebration of Harvest Grand Tasting 2016 Highlights
      • The Celebrity Sparkle of Ferrari Trento Wines
      • Santa Barbara Wine Country’s Celebration of Harvest 2016
      • The Garagiste Festival, Off the Beaten Path Wines
      • Explore SLO Wine Country, Central California’s Hidden Gem
      • Byron Winery, The Grand Pinot Noir Experiment
      • Crocker & Starr Wines, Organically Elegant
      • Escape to Santa Maria Wine Country
      • The Elegant White Wines of Domäne Wachau
      • Champagne Palmer: The New Champagne on the Block
      • Holman Ranch & Vineyards: Making Memories & Wine at Romantic California Hideaway
      • Luminous Wines of France's Loire Valley
    • Examiner.com Articles >
      • Alma Rosa Winery & Vineyards: Wines Without Compromise
      • All Stars of Pinot Noir Rock the 2016 World of Pinot
      • Ampelos Wines' Biodynamic Brilliance
      • Artisan Uprising: Blood Into Wine
      • Bodegas Beronia Rioja: The Magic of Oak
      • Crawford Family Wines: Unlocking Varietal Flavor
      • Dolin Malibu Estate Vineyards' Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs Shine Bright
      • Hahn Family Wines: Santa Lucia Highlands' Sweet Spot
      • Kimmel Vineyards: Good Wine Flows from Challenging Times
      • Larner Vineyard: Sweet Spot for Syrah and Grenache
      • LOCA for Lodi Wine
      • Lompoc Wine Ghetto
      • Sanford Winery & Vineyards, Delicious Wines That Tell a Tale
      • The Diverse and Divine Wines of Santa Barbara County
      • Santa Barbara Urban Wine Trail
      • The Stellar Wines of California's Sta. Rita Hills
      • Skinner Vineyards, Destiny and Determination
      • Wines of Portugal, The Art of the Blend
  • Wine Reviews
    • Lucky Rock Wine Co. 2021 Sauvignon Blanc, in Can and Bottle
    • Coen Malbec Reserve 2019, a New World Wine with Old World Sensibilities
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Santa Barbara Winemakers Road Trip: Chardonnay​



In a fascinating, focused week on the wines of Santa Barbara County, Santa Barbara winemakers came to Los Angeles last May, where they presented a compelling case for drinking more of their world-class wines.  Billed as Santa Barbara Vintners Road Trip Los Angeles, an exploration and celebration of the diversity of the region spanned four days.  Morning seminars and afternoon tastings at Republique offered wine professionals ample time and opportunity to swirl, sniff, and taste these wines that speak so eloquently of the nuances of the region.  


Santa Barbara wine country, a sweet spot of climate, soils, geology, and geography, boasts a diversity of wine that would make Noah and his Ark proud.  Grape varietals, many transplanted from France’s iconic regions of Burgundy, Bordeaux, and the Rhône, have found a vineyard paradise here, with more than 50 different varietals grown.  It’s a cornucopia of distinctive and small production wines, a winemaker’s dream and a wine drinker’s fantasy.  


Chardonnay, glamorous, golden,and oh so popular, is the most widely planted wine grape in Santa Barbara County.  It’s a super-star wine that derives its best expression from the cradles of Santa Maria Valley and Sta. Rita Hills, yet is often considered reflective of a winemaker’s style.  The Chardonnay seminar, moderated by acclaimed wine writer Elaine Chukan-Brown, brought together five renowned winemakers:  Jim Clendenen of Au Bon Climat, Greg Brewer of Brewer-Clifton, John Faulkner of Pence Ranch, Tyler Thomas of Dierberg, and David Whitehair of Foxen.  Each brought one wine to illustrate and compare Chardonnay’s style and character from the different appellations in the area.
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(L-R) Elaine Chukan-Brown, Tyler Thomas, Greg Brewer, Jim Clendenen, David Whitehair John Faulkner
In a spirited discussion of Chardonnay, there was agreement and debate on their experiences growing and making wine in Santa Barbara County.  All found themselves extremely lucky to be here, where Mother Nature has given winemakers a nearly ideal situation.  All recognized that the maritime factors of climate and soils figures predominantly in Chardonnay’s freshness, acidity, and mineral nature, finding that Santa Maria Valley gives rise to round wines with tropical notes, whereas Sta. Rita Hills yields leaner wines with more citrus flavors.  Dierberg’s Thomas found, “One thing I observe in all five wines is great freshness, which is a hallmark of great Chardonnay, but what you see integrated in that freshness of Sta. Rita Hills is salinity.  I think it’s one of the defining marks that differentiates the two regions (Santa Maria Valley and Sta. Rita Hills).”  Yet there was a move away from the term “minerality” for some, defining a saline component in the wines.  Foxen’s Whitehair mused, “I want to say that minerality and salinity, in my opinion, are rolled into one, what I call brininess.”  From there, a fascinating conversation ensued about where the salinity came from, some arguing that it came from the soil and grape skins, others that it came from the air.  Although no consensus was reached, when you stuck your nose in the glass, you could literally smell the waves crashing on the shore.     
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Elaine Chukan-Brown checks out the Chardonnay aromas for herself
Tasting through the wines, whether from Santa Maria Valley or Sta. Rita Hills, there was that common thread of freshness, expressed through zingy acidity, and salinity, but beyond that, it was all about the various vineyards’ contribution to aromas and flavors.
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Greg Brewer of Brewer-Clifton
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The 2013 Brewer-Clifton 3D Chardonnay Sta. Rita Hills is rich and intense, a reflection of Brewer’s minimalist approach, more of a subtractive process of neutral vessels and no lees stirring.  Brewer says, “it’s a question of removal and refinement and polishing, taking away steps and minimizing the hands that touch the process.”  Brewer thinks that the marine sedimentary soils are fairly neutral, but “have a real impact on the way the vines grow and the way the wines are made.”   For him, the oceanic influence is distinctive, with the salinity wrapping itself around the citrus in the wine.
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John Faulkner of Pence Ranch
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The 2013 Pence Ranch Estate Chardonnay is bright and lighter in body.  Faulkner finds the salinity is woven through its opulent flavors, prolonged through the long finish.  White peach, citrus, and sage drive this vibrant wine, what Faulkner finds to be a blend of freshness and flavor, just imagine what a Meyer lemon, Yuzu, and Creme Brûlée would taste like!
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Tyler Thomas of Dierberg
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The Dierberg 2013 Dierberg Vineyard Chardonnay Santa Maria Valley is round and rich, due to what Thomas says is the extended Santa Barbara County growing season, with a long hang time for the clusters, allowing the sugars to accumulate slower.  Yet, he finds both citrus and tropical elements in the wine, “I don’t know if that’s just Santa Maria Valley or our vineyard or the way we’re making the wines.”
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David Whitehair of Foxen
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The 2014 Foxen Block UU Chardonnay Santa Maria Valley brings a blast of citrus on the nose.  Whitehair finds that the cool climate retains fruit flavors, “for me, I get sage, grapefruit, Meyer lemon on the nose, on the palate it’s more fruity, Asian pear and guava, it’s really nice to have both aspects in the same wine.”
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Jim Clendenen of Au Bon Climat
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The 2012 Au Bon Climat Nuits-Blanches au Bouge Santa Maria Valley is made mostly with fruit from the legendary Bien Nacido vineyard.  A richer wine, with more oaky notes from two years of barrel aging, and texture from one year on its lees, the apple and citrus fruit, framed in buttery oak with spice notes, flesh out this wine.  Clendenen loves “the ability to stylize our wines in all different directions”, especially with Chardonnay responding to the winemaker’s personal touch.

​What stood out the most is that we, as wine drinkers, need to make more road trips to Santa Barbara County wineries, and taste the differences for ourselves, to really identify the nuances of the vineyards, the clones, and the appellations.  And, of course, everyone will have their favorite style, but there is beauty in diversity, all of these wines have a place at the table.  How incredibly lucky we Angelenos are, that this wealth of wine is literally in our backyard, a mere two hour journey for some of the best wines in the world.


Next up, Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir, the wine, memorialized in the movie “Sideways”, that has captivated the world! ​