Project Description
2018 Sierra Mar Vineyard Chardonnay
Santa Lucia Highlands AVA
Tasting Notes
“Deep straw hue. This hillside Chardonnay offers concentrated scents of brioche, apple pie, ripe fig, honeydew, and watermelon. With some air, notes of ripe grapefruit and vanilla bean offer a rounding effect on the palate. Upon taste this repertoire continues along with elements of honey and ripe peach. The texture offers precision of sensations while showing tension in that the best days are yet to come for this wine. The finish is intricate, persistent, and perfect. Enjoy now through 2028.”
~Bill Brosseau, Director of Winemaking
“Shimmering straw-yellow. Aromas of poached pear, tangerine and white peach are complicated by toasty lees and floral nuances. Sappy and broad on the palate, offering sappy citrus and orchard fruit, sweet butter and honeysuckle flavors that turn livelier on the back half. Hints of tarragon and ginger emerge on a very long, smoky finish that echoes the floral and pear notes. 46% new French oak.”
Josh Raynolds
Antonio Galloni Vinous
October 2020
Production Data
Growers: Franscioni Framily
Winemaker: Bill Brosseau
Appellation: Santa Lucia Highlands AVA
Barrel Aging: 17 months
Cooperage: 100% French Oak, 46% new
Production: 13 barrels
Composition: 100% Chardonnay
Acidity: 6.54 g/L – 3.35 pH
Alcohol: 14.3%
Harvest: September 19, 2018
Club Release: June 18, 2020
Drink Now through 2028
Past Vintage Wine Scores
“Translucent straw-yellow. Deep-pitched, smoke- and mineral-accented aromas of ripe orchard and pit fruits are complemented by pungent floral and vanilla overtones that build with aeration. Palate-coating pear nectar, peach, tangerine and buttered toast flavors pick up a smoky lees nuance on the back half. Deep yet surprisingly lively in character, delivering solid finishing cut and leaving a sexy floral note behind.”
Antonio Galloni Vinous
Josh Raynolds
November 2019
Sierra Mar Vineyard
The Sierra Mar Vineyard is owned by the Franscioni Family and is located at one of the highest elevations in the Santa Lucia Highlands at just over 1,000 ft. The land is a dramatic 44-acre site that has been in the Franscioni Family for four generations and was originally part of a 420-acre cattle ranch. The steep and remote vineyard is divided by terrain and alluvial plains into distinct blocks with individual terroir. Gary Franscioni says Sierra Mar’s naturally thin soils, gusting winds, lack of water and high-altitude inaccessibility make for extremely exceptional wines. Testarossa is proud to be able to make wines from all five of the Franscioni/Pisoni properties.
Past Vintages
Wine Production Data
Tasting Notes
“Pale straw hue. Brilliant scents of orange, caramel, butterscotch, and fuji apple. These are followed by notes of ripe banana, white peach, and grapefruit. Upon taste, these characteristics persist on the palate and are framed with tension and vibrancy. While this wine is fresh and edgy at this time, its density and concentration will continue to unravel and soften this wine over time. Enjoy now through 2026.”
~ Bill Brosseau, Director of Winemaking
Production Data
Growers: Gary Pisoni and Gary Franscioni
Winemaker: Bill Brosseau
Appellation: Santa Lucia Highlands AVA
Barrel Aging: 10 months
Cooperage: 100% French Oak, 33% new
Production: 10 barrels
Composition: 100% Chardonnay
Acidity: 7.25 g/L – 3.29 pH
Alcohol: 14.2%
Harvest: September 8, 2017
Club Release: October 31, 2018
Drink Now through 2026