cropthreash


Handmade wines since 1983.

 

 

1998 CHARDONNAY SANFORD & BENEDICT
Santa Ynez Valley
 
In 1998 we made our most voluptuous chardonnay ever with grapes from Talley Vineyard (the reserve bottling). It is a dramatic wine that is hard to overlook. But possibly our best chardonnay to date is this 1998 Sanford & Benedict Vineyard bottling from the cool Santa Rita Hills area between Lompoc and Buellton, in the Santa Ynez Valley. After the copious 1997 harvest, 1998 produced a tiny crop in our plot at Sanford & Benedict. This small yield, in combination with the extreme lateness of harvest (November), made for a wine with wonderful concentration, acidity, and mineraliness. The mineral quality is what makes this chardonnay so different from most other California chardonnays. This wine has power and finesse, a rare combination that I find compelling. If you enjoy wine as something other than a cocktail substitute, you'll appreciate this chardonnay's balance and moderate alcohol content. Don't miss this special example of cool climate chardonnay. Very limited.