Scar of the Sea Old Vine Chardonnay 2018

Case discounts (can be mixed cases)
5% off 6 bottles (£27.55 each)
10% off 12+ bottles (£26 10 each)

2018 / California / USA

Chardonnay / 13% / organic

Mikey Giugni started Scar of the Sea in 2012 making Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and cider with fruit from Santa Maria Valley and the coast of San Luis Obispo.  All the grapes come from growers who practice organic or biodynamic farming and his winemaking technique is very much hands off - wild yeasts, neutral oak barrels, no fining, rarely filtering and only a small amount of SO2.  He is making some of the most pure, seductive wines coming out of California right now.

Given that we love his Pinot Noirs, we thought we ought to check out his Chardonnay and, once again, we are mightily impressed.  The grapes are from two sites in the cool Bien Nacido vineyard, both planted in the 1970s.  The grapes are picked early for brighter acidity, whole cluster pressed in a wooden basket press then fermented with wild yeasts in 225 litre French oak barrels.  The wine undergoes full malolactic fermentation then ages on lees for two winters without stirring.  It is bottled unfiltered and unfined.  It's a really refreshing wine with bright lemon curd, pineapple, apple and cream on the nose.  These notes follow through on the palate with crisp acidity and further notes of grapefruit, melon, mandarin, honey and minerals.  Long, complex and balanced, it's another very fine wine from the excellent Scar of the Sea.

1 BOTTLE AVAILABLE