2015 Caymus Mer Soleil Chardonnay Reserve Santa Lucia Highlands 750 ml

A Wagner Family Affair

Caymus’ Charlie Wagner has built Mer Soleil Chardonnay into one whose very brand is quality and consistency, and whose every vintage is widely anticipated. The Mer Soleil 2015 Chardonnay Reserve from Santa Lucia Highlands delivers rich fruit, bracing citrus, and well-integrated oak on a ripe and voluptuous mouthfeel.

In 1992, Chuck Wagner wanted to expand his vineyard opportunities and to provide a childhood challenge to each of his children. Looking for a site to grow world-class Chardonnay, Chuck settled on a large swath of land in Santa Lucia Highlands, just east of Talbott’s Sleepy Hollow.

In 2001, when Charlie II was put in charge, he planted Mer Soleil on rugged soils mixed with gravel and loam, just a stone’s throw from the roaring Pacific Ocean. Stiff maritime winds take the bite out of Monterey’s summer sun, cleansing the vines while stretching out the growing season. This convergence allows for an extended growing season, which leads to ideal ripeness. In the years since the winery’s inception, Charlie’s wines from the Mer Soleil vineyard and down the coast have become synonymous with brilliant and plush California Chardonnay.

The lesson of the Wagner family is clear: When you get an opportunity, run with it.

Jonathan Cristaldi
Editor-in-Chief, Wine Access