2014 Mindego Ridge "Estate" Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay

The 2014 Chardonnay from Mindego Ridge comes from a tiny 1.5-acre parcel and spent 11 months in mostly neutral French oak. Beautiful notes of white peach, pineapple, exotic flowers and hints of mint all flow from this medium to full-bodied, rich, layered, gorgeous Chardonnay that has excellent freshness and vibrancy. Like all 2014s, its upfront and ready to go, with tons of fruit. Drink it over the coming couple of years. The Gollnick family continues to make a brilliant Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from the estate Mindego Ridge Vineyard. There's not much of these to go around, but they're well worth the extra effort to track down! (JD)

I love how both of the 2014 offerings from Mindego Ridge offer up a perfect synthesis of varietal and place. This wine is hand-picked from the estate's tiny 1.3 acre planting of Chardonnay. The wine expresses beautiful ripeness with golden orchard and stone fruit charters. A supple, soft texture on the palate, the wine is rich and mouth-filling. Into the finish the wines' cool climate Santa Cruz Mountain aspect shines through with beautiful focus, glistening saline minerality and lovely line and length. The oak handling is very subtle and alcohol perfect balanced at 13.7%. A stunning, pristine wine that perfect illustrates how special the Santa Cruz Mountains are.