Scar of the Sea - 'Rancho Tepusquet - 'Solera'' - Chardonnay - Santa Maria Valley, CA - NV

@scar_of_the_sea

Notes from the Winery/Importer

This NV Solera blend of Chardonnay was established in 2014. Its composition is made up of 50% Solera base, built over time from 2014-2019 which have been aged together in 500L barrels and the other 50% is 2020 Old Vine Chardonnay from the Rancho Vinedo Vineyard that was aged for 18 months in 228 L barrels. The 2 components of the wine are blended right before bottling. This wine is a play on richness and acidity, reduction and oxidation. This is a special wine I have been building and caring for for a long time that I am extremely proud of. Think salted almonds, lemon cake, & caramelized rock candy | 48 cases produced | 12% alcohol --- Scar of the Sea was established in 2012 and is owned & operated by Mikey & Gina Giugni in San Luis Obispo, California. The Central Coast offers us the opportunity to live, work, and play by the sea, who is influential to the vineyards we work with and how we spend our time. The ocean’s presence has shaped our way of life along with the climate, soils, and geology of the coastal vineyards we work with that fall under the spell of her fog each day. Scar of the Sea focuses on working with farmers who are instrumental in farming for the future and making wines with as little intervention as possible. Our wines are made with the intention to tell a story of where they come from, the people who farm them, and reflect each vintage under the California sun.

Notes on the Producer

Scar of the Sea was established in 2012 and is owned & operated by Mikey & Gina Giugni in San Luis Obispo, California. The Central Coast offers us the opportunity to live, work, and play by the sea, which is influential to the vineyards we work with and how we spend our time. The ocean’s presence has shaped our way of life along with the climate, soils, and geology of the coastal vineyards we work with that fall under the spell of her fog each day. Scar of the Sea focuses on working with farmers who are instrumental in farming for the future and making wines with as little intervention as possible. Our wines are made with the intention to tell a story of where they come from, the people who farm them, and reflect each vintage under the California sun.

Grapes & Style

Chardonnay

Chardonnay is one of the great white grapes of Burgundy, and one of the most widely planted wine grapes in the world. It has a long history in eastern France, especially Burgundy and Champagne, and DNA work shows it as part of the same broad Pinot and Gouais Blanc family that gave us grapes like Gamay and Aligoté. It’s adaptable, easy enough to grow in many places, and capable of producing everything from simple everyday whites to some of the most ageworthy white wines in the world.

In the vineyard, Chardonnay buds and ripens relatively early, which makes it useful in cooler climates but vulnerable to spring frost. It tends to do especially well on limestone and calcareous clay, and its relatively neutral fruit profile gives site and cellar choices a lot of room to show. Malolactic fermentation, lees aging, barrel fermentation, and oak can all shape the final wine dramatically.

In the glass, Chardonnay can be lean, saline, and citrus-driven, or broad, textured, and orchard-fruited, depending on where it’s grown and how it’s made. Chablis shows the steely, high-acid side; the Côte de Beaune shows depth, texture, and savory complexity; Champagne shows its value as a sparkling-wine base. Good Chardonnay is less about one fixed flavor than about balance, texture, and the way it carries place.