2022 Ojai Chardonnay ‘Puerta del Mar,’ Santa Barbara County
SKU: B263
Regular price $51.95Puerta Del Mar Chardonnay has this great way of being paradoxical. It weaves together all these opposing elements—delicacy and power, land and sea, fruit and mineral—with harmony and elegance. For this special bottling we both stress and enrich the wine through our approach to elévage. Five extra months of aging peels the fruit back to reveal the oceanic mineral character of this site, and carefully selected new French oak (33% new) accentuates contour without clutter.
This 2022 Puerta Del Mar Chardonnay is packed with scents of lemon meringue, orchard blossoms, and cardamom pastry, which are balanced by earthy elements like chalk, sea spray, and subtle flintiness. The riper qualities of the 2022 vintage show in the more laid-back feel here; the citrus quality isn’t so urgent as bottlings like the ’19 and ’21. The mid-palate here shows creamy apple and stone fruit notes backed by stony minerality and pithy lemon, which tapers into spicy intrigue and salinity in the finish.
This wine is fairly outward on release, like the ’20, yet it continues to evolve well and gain gravitas over three days of being open. It’s poised to age but is plenty delicious now.