2020 Santa Rita Hills Chardonnay
Sta. Rita Hills AVA
Tasting Notes
“Pale straw hue. Enchanting aromas of passionfruit, mango, ripe fig, and apple pie. With some air, notes of nectarine and vanilla bean flare out. Once on the palate, the flavors stay true to the aromas while being enhanced by lemon, honey, and oak spice. With brisk acidity and generous concentration, this Chardonnay blend finishes with dimension and pleasure. Enjoy now through 2030.”
~Bill Brosseau, Director of Winemaking
January 2022
“Lush, Elegant, with pillowy texture and a complex palate and a long finish.”
Anthony Dias Blue
March 2022
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: 14 months in 100% French Oak, 18% new
Production: 17 Barrels
Composition: 100% Chardonnay
Acidity: 3.29 pH, 7.18 TA (g/L)
Alcohol: 14.2%
Harvest: Various
Club Release: February 2022
Release Price: $45
Drink Now through 2030
Past Vintage Wine Scores
“Silky and juicy with elegant flavors of pear fruit and subtle toast, balanced and long.”
Anthony Dias Blue
August 2021
“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
“Bright, toasty nose; silky and elegant; fresh, smooth and classic; balanced, long and refined.”
Anthony Dias Blue
May 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.