Continued on page 140BUYINGGUIDE
I
n Santa Barbara County, the mountains do
something that happens nowhere else on the
West Coast of the Americas: they run from
east to west, rather than north to south.
So unlike everywhere else where peaks pro-
tect the inland areas from the eff ects of the sea,
the county’s prominent valleys open right onto
the Pacifi c Ocean, which is a rather wild, frigid
and wind-whipped beast in this
corner of California.
On the western edge of the
long, narrow Santa Ynez Valley—
and for all of the wider Santa
Maria Valley—that translates to
cool temperatures, with fog in
the morning and a steady breeze
in the aft ernoon. This allows for
deliciously extended ripening
seasons for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
The temperatures rise a bit inland, becom-
ing ideal for other varieties: Syrah and other
Rhône grapes in Ballard Canyon; Sauvignon
Blanc and a smorgasbord of reds in the Los
Olivos District and Bordeaux grapes in Happy
Canyon of Santa Barbara.
There’s a diverse menu of great wineavailable from these appellations: Storm’s
Donnachadh Vineyard Pinot Noir from the Sta.
Rita Hills; Liquid Farm’s Bien Bien Chardon-
nay from the Santa Maria Valley; Stolpman’s
Estate Syrah in Ballard Canyon; Happy Canyon
Vineyard’s Bordeaux-style red blends; and even
Solminer’s Blaufränkisch from Los Olivos.
However, with this diversity is a double-
edged sword. The breadth of
grapes and blends does make
telling the Santa Barbara story
to a broad audience a bit diffi -
cult—there’s just no succinct
way to explain what the county
does best. But, for a visitor who
comes to explore the area or for
a shopper perusing wine shop
aisles, the reward is that the
county off ers world-class wine at a tremendous
value for every palate.
Elsewhere in this issue’s Buying Guide,
you’ll find other reviews from Oregon,
Argentina, Italy, France and beyond. And
as always, be sure to visit our website at
winemag.com/ratings for thousands more
reviews. Cheers! —Matt KettmannDiversity in Santa Barbara County
CALIFORNIA
The reward is that
the county offers
world-class wine at
a tremendous value
for every palate.124 | WINE ENTHUSIAST | OCTOBER 2019CHARDONNAY
9 4
Liquid Farm 2015 Bien Bien Chardonnay
( Santa Maria Valley ). From 40-year-old
vines of Bien Nacido Vineyard, this bottling off ers
ashy Brie rind aromas alongside lemon pith and
light guava peel. Compelling tension on the pal-
ate frames the tangerine pith and Key lime fl avors,
which warm toward buttermilk and fl int toward the
fi nish. — M.K.
abv: 13.5% Price: $ 529 4
Liquid Farm 2017 White Hills Chardonnay
( Sta. Rita Hills ). Tight aromas of light pine-
apple, Meyer lemon and waxy paraffi n get the slight-
est hint of smoke on the nose of this blend from four
renowned vineyards. The palate is framed by strong
acidity and chalky tension that underlies the grape-
fruit and lemon fl avors, which are brushed with a
delicate stroke of butter. — M.K.
abv: 13% Price: $ 429 3
Liquid Farm 2016 Four Chardonnay ( Sta. Rita
Hills ). This blend of Clos Pepe, Bentrock, La
Rinconada and Kessler-Haak vineyards begins with
aromas of brioche, nectarine-mango jam and toasty
oak on the nose. The palate off ers an intriguing mix
of honeydew, oak, toast and buttered peach fl avors,
making for a clean and compelling sip. — M.K.
abv: 13.5% Price: $ 749 3
Liquid Farm 2015 Golden Slope Chardonnay
( Sta. Rita Hills ). A blend from six vineyards
located across the appellation, this bottling off ers
aromas of dried pears, mango and damp oak on the
nose. There’s a racy line of acidity on the palate,
where dollops of creamy oak and baked apple are
splashed by tangerine-powered acidity. — M.K.
abv: 13.5% Price: $ 529 2
Foley 2016 Bar Lazy S Ranch Chardonnay
( Sta. Rita Hills ). Full aromas of marshmal-
low, white peach and buttercream are billowingon the nose of this bottling. Creamy, ripe and rich
fl avors of white peach, cherimoya and oak consume
the palate. — M.K.
abv: 14.3% Price: $ 45SAUVIGNON BLANC
9 2
Grimm’s Bluff 2017 Reserve Sauvignon Blanc
( Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara ). This bot-
tling from a newer biodynamic property, now made
by winemaker Ernst Storm, combines racy and riper
tones on the dynamic nose, off ering aromas of dried
lemon, red pear, wet stone and parsley. The palate is
stony and tingling with acidity, delivering ripe pear
and nectarine fl avors. — M.K.
abv: 13% Price: $ 389 2
Margerum 2018 Sybarite Sauvignon Blanc
( Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara ). Crisp
pear fl esh, lemon rind and white-fl owers show on the
nose of this always zesty, refreshing bottling by Doug
Margerum. There’s a stony grip to the sip, where
citrus and Asian pear fl avors compete for attention
against the tremendously chalky texture. — M.K.
abv: 12.5% Price: $ 219 2
Westerly 2017 Sauvignon Blanc ( Happy Can-
yon of Santa Barbara ). For full review see
page 131.
abv: 14.5% Price: $ 249 1
Grassini 2018 Sauvignon Blanc ( Happy Can-
yon of Santa Barbara ). Light and mellow on
the nose at fi rst, this bottling opens toward Asian
pear fl esh, warm nectarine and clean melon aro-
mas. It lands on the palate with bright fl avors of
guava, passion fruit and lime, cut by mineral-laden
touches of wet cement. — M.K.
abv: 13.2% Price: $ 289 1
Grimm’s Bluff 2017 Estate Sauvignon Blanc
( Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara ). From a
stunning estate that was planted biodynamically,
this bottling, which is the fi rst for this project by
newly hired winemaker Ernst Storm, off ers aromas of
cut grass, dried grapefruit rinds and lime zest on the
nose. Stony fl avors of wet cement make for a fresh
and compelling palate, with fl avors of green-pear
skin, lime rind and dried hay all apparent. — M.K.
abv: 13% Price: $ 289 1
McKinney 2018 Vogelzang Vineyard Sauvi-
gnon Blanc ( Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara ).
Clean aromas of rainy cement, sharp cut grass and
lime blossom show on the refreshing nose of this
bottling. The palate is crisp and lively, with grape-
fruit juice, grass and passion fruit fl avors leading
toward a taut fi nish. — M.K.
abv: 14% Price: $ 42