Friday, November 30, 2018

Great Chardonnay From California's Edna Valley

The six-year-old San Luis Obispo winery, Biddle Ranch Vineyard, does "small batch, handcrafted wines" from their 17-acre Chardonnay vineyard in beautiful Edna Valley.  They also source other grapes from choice plots in Edna Valley, Arroyo Grande, Santa Ynez and Paso Robles.  The four families who own the - the Fortinis, Rawlings, Roncas, and Woolperts - love the estate's "rolling hills, Chardonnay grapes growing on the vine, and sweeping views of the Santa Lucia range."  Winemaker Ryan Deovlet gets credit for guiding them "from grape to glass."

The 2015 Biddle Ranch Vineyard Edna Valley Chardonnay hits 13.8% abv and sells for $32.  Only 460 cases were produced. 

This Edna Valley Chardonnay shows golden in the glass.  It has a lovely nose featuring apples and oak, plenty of the former and just enough of the latter.  An underlying licorice note adds an interesting twist.  On the palate there's yellow apple, peach and a lemon-lime note, with a hint of the oak spice.  The acidity is brisk, while the finish is a long-lasting sense of minerals and citrus.


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