Diatom Chardonnay Santa Barbara County Unoaked 2023 750ml

Expert Review - Vintage 2023

93 Points Wine Spectator: This stunning wine leaps out of the glass, with concentrated flavors of white peach, quince and pineapple, plus floral accents of orange blossoms and lemon curd. Finishes with mouthwatering acidity, a note of crunchy sea salt minerality and a whiff of lemon verbena. (2023).

94 Points Jeb Dunnuck: Made by Greg Brewer and already bottled, the 2023 Chardonnay comes from the Mission Mills Vineyard just outside of Los Alamos. Its vivid medium gold hue is followed by a vibrant nose of salted citrus, tangerine, exotic flowers, and subtle spice. Medium-bodied, pure, rounded, and beautifully balanced, it has plenty of power and density, integrated acidity, and a great finish. This impeccably made Chardonnay should be snatched up by readers, as it competes with wines at two to three times the price.

93 Decanter Magazine: One of the region's perennial top-value Chardonnays that retains the truest sense of place. With the aroma of salty sea air and dried white flowers, winemaker Greg Brewer calls the wine ‘big and neutral, blurring the lines of expectation.’ Spicy lime flavours combined with cardamom, tingly acidity, and a dash of white pepper finish it off.

93 Points James Suckling: An unoaked chardonnay that's full-bodied but balanced and amazingly rich in ripe fruit. Flavors of lemons, green apples, pineapple. mangoes, minerals and chalk. Harvested late in the year, fermented in steel tanks, then bottled and sold early while it's fresh and racy in texture.

Winemaker Description 

The Diatom Santa Barbara Chardonnay offers aromas of lemon, citrus blossom and wet sand with flavors of saline and white peach on the palate. A precise, balanced wine.