Sanford Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay

Dry, crisp, bright and mineral. This is a medium-bodied Chardonnay with fresh fruit and a gently creamy texture. The nose shows white flowers, lemon peel and orchard fruit. The palate brings peach, nectarine, melon and citrus. French oak adds a nutty, lightly spiced note. Clean acidity and a salty mineral thread carry a long, refreshing finish.

Sanford was the first winery in what is now the Sta. Rita Hills, planting the pioneering Sanford & Benedict Vineyard in 1971. This Chardonnay comes from the estate’s La Rinconada and Sanford & Benedict vineyards, in the cool, east-west Santa Rita Hills corridor of Santa Barbara County where ocean breezes and fog keep acidity bright. The grapes are whole-cluster pressed, barrel fermented in French oak with full malolactic conversion, and aged in a mix of new and older French oak. It is bottled in a 750 mL bottle.

Serve lightly chilled with halibut, scallops, roast chicken or mushroom risotto.