2016 Dierberg Vineyard Chardonnay Santa Maria Valley 750 ml

Nothing shows why we’re fans of winemaker Tyler Thomas better than the knockout 2016 Dierberg Chardonnay Dierberg Vineyard. 

Of the 81 Chardonnays from around the world that earned 94 points from Wine Enthusiast, Dierberg boasts the best price, and that’s at its $32 SRP. Today, we’ve got this top value—which stands with bold-face names like Alpha Omega ($120), Hanzell ($78), and others that reach up to $238—for just $25 per bottle.

Sourced from their estate vineyard in the heart of the Santa Maria Valley’s prime corridor, the 2016 is a beautiful specimen of classic Santa Maria Chardonnay. The nose blossoms with heady aromas of just-ripe peach, Ashmead’s Kernel apple, and a chalky minerality, while the palate delivers a zippy mélange of bright pineapple, lemon zest, and crunchy peach. With a hint of spice fading into the long finish, it’s everything we’ve come to know and love about Dierberg—a true tribute to their incredible site and top winemaking talent.

The Dierberg family has been farming vineyards in the Santa Maria Valley since the mid-1990s. Just 13 miles from the Pacific on the western edge of the appellation, their home vineyard benefits from a strong maritime influence, the cool climate keeping acids fresh while sandy loam soils mixed with marine sediments provide excellent drainage for the vines—ideal conditions that provide perfect grapes for star winemaker Tyler Thomas.

Cool-climate wines have been Tyler’s calling card ever since he started as an assistant winemaker at legendary winery Hyde de Villaine, the California project from Aubert de Villaine of Burgundy’s Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (home of the world’s most expensive Pinot Noirs).

Given the raw materials at Dierberg, moving down to the Santa Maria Valley was easy for Tyler. “I’d learned in my career that there are two requirements to making great wines—the patience of long-term vision and the control of estate vineyards,” Thomas explains. “The Dierberg family represented both.” He knew his winemaking philosophy was perfectly suited to capitalize on the Dierbergs’ multi-generational commitment to the land, and their investments in cultivating incredible sites. 

In the winery, Tyler knows when to back off and let the fruit do the talking… and this Chardonnay is a perfect example of his talent and judgment at work. With a cool season and unusually long hang-time in 2016 providing perfectly developed flavors with bright acidity, he chose to allow malolactic fermentation on half of the wine, trusting the additional texture would meld seamlessly with the natural verve of the vintage—and it works beautifully. Tyler aged the wine in 20% new oak barrels and in larger puncheons, which minimized the oak contact on the wine for a subtle spice and elegant texture.

It all adds up to one of the Chardonnay deals of the year—a healthy discount off a 94-point wine that is an exceptional value at full price. We’ve got the best price in the country, giving you a great excuse to back up the truck on one of our longtime favorites.