Big Basin Vineyards Santa Cruz Chardonnay Howard Family Vineyard 2019 Jura and Savoie Serious white wine without a

Serious white wine without a hint of pretension

The top wines are vinified directly in the barrel

The interesting part is watching a young winemaker's ideas play out on a vineyard he is remaking in real time

licorice and black pepper

site-specific

Big Basin Vineyards Santa Cruz Chardonnay Howard Family Vineyard 2019 Jura and Savoie Serious white wine without aA direct answer to anyone who thinks California Chardonnay can't age. Big Basin farms this old vine parcel in the Santa Cruz Mountains, planted back in 1977 on sandy loam over bedrock, just miles from the cold water of Monterey Bay. That maritime chill keeps natural acidity high and the wine taut. Made with a light hand, aged in French oak and then rested in stainless, unfined and unfiltered, it's built on restraint rather than richness. A structured,