Sanford Chardonnay La Rinconada Vineyard 2018

You. Are. Not. Ready. Coming on the heels of the most EPIC, PULSE-RACING MARATHON YET…you might have figured we’d be spent and take the weekend off. INCONCEIVABLE. That’s just not us, never has been, never will be. We are all things pedal to the medal, this goes to eleven, "No Sleep Till Brooklyn" kinda crew, so we are right back at it with the MOST HISTORIC Santa Barbara producer…SANFORD!!! These guys are almost single-handedly responsible for the Santa Rita Hills AVA’s existence. Their flagship chardonnay from La Rinconada vineyard, just a cool 10 minutes east of California’s coastal Highway 101 in Lompoc, is coming at you for 55% BELOW the second best price in the world (we mopped the floor with them, saving you a cool $30 per bottle…you’re welcome.) 93 POINTS, classic Cali-chard for under $25?!?!  SHAH-BAM!

The folks at Sanford first laid down vines at the Sanford & Benedict vineyard back in 1971, wowing the critics as far back as 1976 with their Burgundian styles of cool-climate vino perfection. Most of the vineyards in the county have begged for clippings to graft onto their own vines, and this chardonnay, planted right next door to the original vineyard has built a legendary reputation all its own. This is classic Cali-chard as it once was (and, I’d say, should always be), with impeccable balance…like grandma’s plush velvet throw pillow pierced with a razor-sharp knife of lemony freshness. Hedonism and restraint in a single bottle – barrel fermented and aged but with minimal new oak heaviness, full yet crisp, zippy green apples and Korean pears framed with unctuous brown butter and toasted hazelnuts. WOW-WEE this wine just goes on forever. A veritable roller coaster of spice, acid, and creaminess, and…and…and! Pristine now, but with the potential to evolve over the next several years…this is for you fans of Kongsgaard, Marcassin, Ramey, and others of such ilk… for way, way less cheddar!

Not much to go around, so kickstart your Saturday with a few bottles before it goes the way of the dinosaur! 

**Trivia Time! Sanford is also known by film sleuths as the setting for the “Are you chewing gum?” scene in the movie "Sideways".