2012 Hilliard Bruce Vineyards Chardonnay Sta. Rita Hills 750 ml

Greg Brewer’s Latest 94pt Chardonnay: Sand and Silt on Highway 246

We were first introduced to this narrow coastal corridor on the Santa Barbara Coast by Jim Clendenen, the winemaker at Au Bon Climat. When Clendenen poured a bottle of 1983 Babcock Vineyard Chardonnay at a blind tasting in New York City, we were not the only ones who mistook it for a Premier Cru Chassagne-Montrachet. That Chardonnay set our bar so high that it wouldn’t be for another decade — when Steve Kistler found his groove — that another American Chardonnay measured up.

Off Highway 246 just a few miles from the sleepy coastal town of Lompoc, cold cleansing winds off the Pacific gust through the Sta. Rita Hills throughout the summer. Even sunny days rarely see daytime highs above 80 degrees. Yields are tiny, often less than 2 tons per acre (the norm in Chassagne-Montrachet is 3-3.5). The growing season is exceedingly long — making for high-tension Chardonnays infused with Montrachet-like lemon custard and bitter honey.

Over the years, we’ve tasted a number of unforgettable Chardonnays drawn from the sand and silt along Highway 246. There were the magnificent 2002, 2003, and 2004 Brewer-Clifton Chardonnays (a 94-point trifecta from The Wine Advocate) drawn off Melville Vineyard. Ron and Chad Melville’s own “Inox 76” took a brilliant page from a Chablisien script, earning a 93-point rave from Robert Parker. Brian Babcock’s astonishing 1999 “Grand Cuvee” was reminiscent of Clendenen’s 1983.

But if obliged to pick one winemaker who has garnered more critical acclaim than any other for Chardonnays drawn off the sandy Sta. Rita Hills, it’s no contest: Greg Brewer rules the roost.

At Diatom, Brewer-Clifton, Melville, and Hilliard Bruce, Brewer has crafted NINETY-FOUR Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnays that have earned 93-99 points since 2002. But over lunch in Los Olivos, Greg confided that his newest release off a 5.3-acre parcel owned and farmed by John Hilliard and Christine Bruce may well turn out to be his most extraordinary to date.

The couple purchased this 101-acre property just west of Babcock, Clos Pepe, and Melville in 2002, and every decision at Hilliard Bruce has been made with the utmost care and precision. Dijon clones 76 and 96 were chosen based on the soil type and exposition of two small blocks on the lowest and coldest part of the property. Despite their close proximity, the interplay of full sun and 40 m.p.h. marine winds leads to varying microclimate conditions in the blocks. Densely planted on 3’ x 6’ rows, all shoots are hand-tied, allowing for consistent sunlight on each cluster.

The 2012 growing season was magnificent on the Santa Barbara Coast, just as it was in Napa and Sonoma. Exceedingly dry, full of sunshine but quite cool and mild, the extended growing season led to what our lunch host called a “perfect” harvest. Tiny golden-berry clusters were picked by hand, gingerly placed in small bins and trucked to the winery. Then Greg Brewer did what he’s always done best: He performed cellar magic.

The 2012 Hilliard Bruce Chardonnay Estate is brilliant pale-gold in hue. Mouthwatering aromas of ripe citrus, white peach, and ripe apple, complicated by nutty minerality. Rich, tightly wound, and intensely concentrated on the attack. Wonderfully pure and polished, filled with ripe lemon, Granny Smith apple, and pear, finishing with excellent persistence and Burgundian nerve. Drink now-2022.

$45 on release. Just $34.99 this morning. If you’re a true California Chardonnay or white Burgundy enthusiast, this is a CASE-BUY.