2014 Chardonnay Los Alamos Vineyard

Gavin Chanin draws from some of the best vineyards in Santa Barbara, including blocks in Bien Nacido and Sanford & Benedict planted in the early 1970s that played a key role in the early days of Santa Barbara. Chanin holds a number of unconventional views, including an aversion to green harvesting. He also does not seek particularly low yields and is remarkably open in stating that he does not control much about farming in the sites he buys fruit from, something pretty much none of his colleagues would state so candidly. The proof, though, is in the glass, and the 2014s are impressive across the board. As is the case at many wineries, the Chardonnays have a slight upper hand over the Pinots in 2014. According to Chanin, the growing season was only 5-6 days shorter than normal even though harvest was a full month earlier than normal, largely because of the warm winter and early start to the year as opposed to very hot temps in June or July.