2021 Santa Rita Hills Chardonnay
Sta. Rita Hills AVA
Tasting Notes
“Pale straw hue. Enchanting scents of passionfruit, pineapple, ripe fig, and kiwi leap out of the glass. With some air, notes of white peach, nectarine, and banana fill out the aroma profile. Many of these qualities persist upon taste and then become juicy and dense on the texture. Modest acidity keeps freshness on the smooth, yet lively finish. Enjoy now through 2030.”
~Bill Brosseau, Director of Winemaking
January 2023
“Best Buy”
“Lean, quiet and reserved, this has a leesy, nutty scent that broadens out and frames its tree fruit flavors, like quince drizzled with yuzu. That yuzu note may just be the zingy acidity that courses through the wine, projecting elegance and a firm mineral imprint on the finish, the oak component measured and reserved.”
Patrick J. Comiskey
Wine & Spirits Magazine
October 2023
Production Data
Growers: Various
Winemaker: Bill Brosseau
Appellation: Sta. Rita Hills
Viticulture Practice: Sourced from Certified Sustainable Vineyards
Vinification: Pressed Whole-cluster, fermented in French Oak
Cooperage & Ageing: 13 months in 100% French Oak, 10% new
Production: 7 Barrels
Composition: 100% Chardonnay
Acidity: 3.17 pH, 6.96 TA (g/L)
Alcohol: 14.1%
Harvest: October 10, 2021, hand harvested
Club Release: February 2023
Release Price: $45
Drink Now through 2030
Past Vintage Wine Scores
“Lush, Elegant, with pillowy texture and a complex palate and a long finish.”
Anthony Dias Blue
March 2022
“Aromas of green apples, lemon peel and garden herbs. Medium-bodied and rather fresh and bright on the palate. There is a savory undertone that evolves as the palate continues, carried by soft tannins. Well balanced with a mildly nutty finish. Drink now. ”
James Suckling
May 2022
“Silky and juicy with elegant flavors of pear fruit and subtle toast, balanced and long.”
Anthony Dias Blue
August 2021
“Showing lots of sunny California fruit, the Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay evokes tangerine citrus, Meyer lemon, and touches of tropical mango and pineapple. It’s well balanced with good freshness and depth and a pleasing, suave mouth feel. Finishes long and flavorful. Outstanding for the price. Aged 14 months in 17% new French oak.”
Don Winkler
International Wine Review
October 2021
“Bright straw-yellow. Fresh, floral-accented citrus fruit aromas and flavors, along with a hint of spicy ginger. Chewy and focused in style, showing good clarity and repeating florality on a long finish that features a touch of toasted grain. 17% new French oak.”
Josh Raynolds
Vinous
May 2022
“If any California Chardonnay stands out as Burgundian, this one does. Elegantly framed with gingerbread and jasmine, its textural sophistication is undeniably stunning. Orange peel and salted white peach adorn the finish.”
Meridith May
The SOMM Journal
June/July 2021
“Brioche, orchard fruits, toasted spices, and white flower notes all emerge from the medium-bodied 2018 Chardonnay Sta. Rita Hills, which has classic Sta. Rita Hills salinity, terrific balance, and a great finish. It’s textbook Chardonnay from this appellation.”
Jeb Dunnuck
August 2020
“Bright, toasty nose; silky and elegant; fresh, smooth and classic; balanced, long and refined.”
Anthony Dias Blue
May 2019
“Limpid gold. Dried pear, honeydew melon and subtle vanilla, ginger and woodsmoke nuances on the fragrant nose and in the mouth. Fleshy and dry, showing good depth and a firm edge thanks to a spine of juicy acidity. Finishes with zesty, citrusy cut, a repeating vanilla quality and strong, spicy persistence.”
Josh Raynolds
Antonio Galloni’s Vinous
November 2019
“The 2016 Chardonnay Sta. Rita Hills gives up savory scents of toasted almonds, dried hay, apple pie, jasmine and peachy hints plus a vein of crushed stone. The medium-bodied palate is silky and concentrated with lively acidity and a long, energetic, mineral-driven finish. 80 cases were made.”
Erin Brooks
Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
September 2019
“A stellar wine, this appellation blend rivals some of the Los Gatos-based winery’s single vineyard expressions. Exotic dried apples, vanilla cream and popcorn pop on the nose, while there palate’s extreme acidity and explosiveness freshness demands immediate enjoyment. Butter-seared apples, grapefruit pith and a touch of flint round out the flavors.”
Wine Enthusiast
“This appellation blend provides a great representation of the region, with lavish and rich aromas of vanilla bean, clove, dried blueberry paste and zesty chaparral herbs. A fine line of wet gravel and cement minerality centers the palate, with lilac, lavender, clay and turned-earth components alongside richer black-cherry fruit. ”
Matt Kettmann
Wine Enthusiast
December 2016
“The Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir is rich and perfumy with a creamy mouth feel, good acidity, and plum and dark cherry flavors. It is nicely balanced with good acidity and a crisp finish.”
International Wine Review
Sta. Rita Hills
The Santa Rita Hills appellation is one the unique places where the valleys run east-west opening up toward the Pacific Ocean near Lompoc in Santa Barbara County. The valley is nestled between the Purisima Hills and the Santa Rosa Hills with the Santa Ynez river running through it. Fog and cool, ocean breezes coupled with wind and soils that limit vine vigor add to intense flavor in cool climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Testarossa has been making wine from the Santa Rita Hills since 2004.