‘New York Times’- “Santa Barbara Redefines Chardonnay”
Wine critic Eric Asimov gives a nice shout out to our 2010 Bien Nacido Chardonnay. We love that the tasting panel focussed on the finesse and non-interventionist winemaking style being practiced in the area. Click on the link for the full article.
WINES OF THE TIMES
Santa Barbara Redefines Chardonnay
California chardonnay seldom makes a wine lover’s pulse race these days. Instead, it largely inspires a sense of been there, done that; remember how we used to drink it back in the ’90s? California chardonnay seldom makes a wine lover’s pulse race these days. Instead, it largely inspires a sense of been there, done that; remember how we used to drink it back in the ’90s?
Quietly, though, the formula for California chardonnay, if such a thing can be said to exist, has been recalibrated. The stereotype of an almost sweet oak-rimmed butter bomb with its cornucopia of tropical fruit flavors has given way (or at least made room) for something much finer, leaner and more energetic.
The pendulum has been swinging back toward the middle of the stylistic spectrum for a decade, not just for chardonnay but for cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir, zinfandel and the rest. Yet the shift has been especially striking for chardonnay, which for so long symbolized the polarized feelings of wine drinkers toward California. Many people loved the over-the-top exoticism of those wines. But a significant number hated them as well, which gave rise to the ABC method of ordering white wine, that is, anything but chardonnay.