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: 2019 J. Wilkes Santa Maria Valley Chardonnay

2019 J. Wilkes Santa Maria Valley Chardonnay (Elsewhere $25)

SKU #1692081 92 points Wine & Spirits

Outer quote mark This benchland wine highlights the foggy coolness of Santa Maria’s transverse valley, with its citrusy, mildly nutty nose and lemon-lime flavors, fresh and linear, crackling with bright acidity. It’s a seafood wine to pour with Dungeness crab cakes. (PJC) Inner quote mark (10/2021)

90 points Jeb Dunnuck

Outer quote mark Buttered citrus, honeysuckle, green almond, and white flower notes emerge from the 2019 Chardonnay Santa Maria Valley, a rich, medium-bodied Chardonnay that has good purity, moderate acidity, and a great finish. Inner quote mark

K&L Notes

J. Wilkes has long been one of the best value brands in California wine. The brand is essential a second label from the Miller Family who own Bien Nacido Estate and Solomon Hills Estate, two of the most highly regarded vineyards in Santa Barabara County, if not all of California. Bien Nacido Vineyard has long been considered one of California's "Grand Cru" sites. Established in the early 1970's, the mature vines here grow in calcareous-shale soils on the Tepusquet bench overlooking the Santa Maria Valley below. Solomon Hills is a more recent planting on the other side of the valley, very close to the ocean, in ancient sand dunes. This site provides zesty acidity and saline minerality to compliment Bien Nacido's natural power and depth. The J. Wilkes wines are made by Wes Hagen. Wes is a well-established winemaker in his own right. Before joining the Miller Family team, he made the wines at the renowned Clos Pepe Vineyard in Sta. Rita Hills. With our special Insider's Advantage price on this Chardonnay, it offers simply unbeatable value for money in a bright, mineral driven Chardonnay with exceptional pedigree. (Ryan Woodhouse - K&L Domestic Wine Buyer)

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2019 J. Wilkes Santa Maria Valley Chardonnay

Price: Hidden

W&S: 92

JD: 90

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Product Reviews:

By: Ryan Woodhouse | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 9/10/2023 | Send Email

When I was offered this wine at a crazy low price I didn't hesitate. I've known for years that the J. Wilkes wines represent some of the most incredible value wines in California even at full retail pricing. These wine harness the incredible estate vineyards of the Miller Family (Bien Nacido, Solomon Hills etc) plus the proven talents of winemaker Wes Hagen. It seems almost unfathomable that you can take Chardonnay from some of the finest acres of vineyard on the central coast, have it hand-crafted into wine by a renowned winemaker like Wes (who by the way made the great wines of Clos Pepe in the Sta Rita Hills for many years) and wrap it all up to sell under $25. Even more mind-blowing is that we're taking another 40% OFF! My wife recently poured me a glass of this without me knowing what it was...tasting it blind I was even more impressed of how well this wine showed with is crystaline stone fruits, baked pear, intense minerality, coastal acidity and saline complexity. It has a very Chablis-like oyster shell thing going on which I loved and is rarely found in inexpensive wines like this. So balanced, focued and complex for such ludicrous price. Seriously, if you like more vibrant, bright, mineral driven Chardonnay buy a case of this and you'll be very happy!

Top Value! Drink from 2023 to 2026

By: Carlo Delgado | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 9/6/2023 | Send Email

Nose of ripe yellow apples, yellow pear, lemon curd, honeydew melon, mangoes, creme brulee, and saline. Fresh, refreshing, creamy on the palate, well balanced between the fruit, oak, acidity, and minerality. An awesome, classic style, California Chardonnay!

Additional Information:

Varietal:

Chardonnay

- It's hard to believe that up until about 30 years ago, this extremely popular varietal hid behind the veil of geographical names like Chablis and Puligny-Montrachet. Now grown all over the world and bottled by its varietal name, Chardonnay has achieved a level of branding unlike any other wine. Surprisingly, though, what you get when you buy Chardonnay can differ greatly from country to country and even within one country, depending on the climate where it's grown and how it is vinified and aged. From fresh, crisp and minerally with apple and lemon notes to rich and buttery with tropical fruit overtones, Chardonnay runs the gamut. In France's Burgundy, Chardonnay is the source of the prized wines of Chablis, Corton-Charlemagne, Mâcon, Meursault and Montrachet. It also the foundation of exceptional Champagne, where it is blended with Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier or vinified on its own into Blanc de Blancs. It is also extremely popular in California, and is gaining popularity in Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Spain and South Africa.

Country:

United States

- When people consider domestic wine, they normally think about the state of California. The fine viticultural Region within California, including the Napa Valley, Sonoma, Santa Cruz Mountains, Mendocino and Santa Barbara, are capable of growing grapes of world-class quality. But there's plenty of fabulous wine coming from other states, too. Oregon, Washington and New York are also causing eyebrows (and glassware) to be raised around the world.

Sub-Region:

California

- With the explosive growth that California's wine industry has seen the past several years, it's easy to view winemaking and grape growing in the Golden State as a recent phenomenon. And while it's true that California's viticultural history is brief compared to several European countries, this state's roots date back well over 200 years. Due to the enormous response to California wine within the United States and worldwide, there are thousands of excellent and diverse wines being produced within the state each year.

Specific Appellation:

Santa Maria/Santa Barbara

- Santa Maria and Santa Ynez make up the two AVAs of Santa Barbara County, an area known for its natural beauty and temperate climate. The best grape-growing areas, however, are located on the very coastal reaches of these two appellations, and are cooled by ever-present fog and ocean breezes (it is even cooler and foggier here than Carneros!). As expected, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir thrive while the more inland zones lay claim to Bordeaux varietals and some Rhône blends.

Alcohol Content (%):

13.5