2017 Deovlet Chardonnay Santa Barbara County 750 ml

Don’t get us wrong: Three 93-point scores grab our attention. So do quotes from Antonio Galloni, who dubbed Ryan Deovlet "one of the most exciting young winemakers in the Central Coast,” and called his 2017 Santa Barbara County Chardonnay “pure class.” 

But those words didn’t nearly pack the punch as the endorsement of our tough-to-impress Master Sommelier Sur Lucero, who gave Ryan’s lifted and voluminous 2017 Chardonnay some seriously rare praise. 

“For the money, I truly don't have any wines from the area I would rather enjoy with friends and family,” he said, while swirling Deovlet’s pale gold, impossible-to-get Chardonnay. Restaurants and retailers wish they could get their hands on this complex Santa Barbara white—which earned 93-point scores from Wine & Spirits, Galloni’s Vinous, and Jeb Dunnuck—but Ryan made less than 200 cases of this stunner, and we’re only privy to our allocation because of Sur’s friendship with Ryan.

This is the definition of true access: A wine that most connoisseurs might glimpse in a rave review, but few will ever get the chance to try. More than half is already gone to Ryan’s mailing list, and the rest is earmarked for exclusively Wine Access members. For a wine that drinks $20 above its $32 SRP, it's a deal no Chardonnay lover should attempt to resist. 

Ryan sums his 2017 up as “classic California, inspired by Chablis and Meursault,” and Sur sees that Burgundian elegance and brilliance “that you just fall in love with.” Pale gold in color with silver streaks through to the rim, it opens with aromatics of sliced pear, preserved Meyer lemon, white peach, and fresh buttercream. Jasmine, wet stones, polished steel, and sea spray envelope the periphery, with a mouthfeel that is lifted and voluminous, and the palate is full but not dense. Long and elegant on the finish with a high degree of finesse, this is the kind of Chardonnay that has our Master Sommelier raving—and that’s rare. 

Sur didn’t meet Ryan by chance. He took one sip of a Deovlet wine at a wine bar in San Francisco, and immediately knew he needed to meet the man. So on his next trip down the California coast, he paid him a visit… which turned into a seven-hour tasting at Ryan’s winery. They became fast friends.

A decade and a half ago, Ryan was a rising star on the baseball diamond. When an injury derailed his career, he decided to go on a “surf walkabout,” toiling on organic farms in exchange for room and board. During that time, he was given a copy of The Heartbreak Grape, a landmark book about growing Pinot Noir in California. 

That book sent Ryan home to California, where he went all-in on his new career. Ryan has now made Wine & Spirits magazine’s Top 100 Wineries list three times in just eight vintages, and earns consistent raves from the critics that know California the best. In fact, as we were talking to Ryan about his Santa Barbara Chardonnay, word came in that Jeb Dunnuck had added another 93-point score to the wine, praising his 2017s as “terrific wines across the board.” 

Ryan’s Santa Barbara Chardonnay consists of wine that could have easily gone into his vineyard-designate bottlings. “We don’t source grapes for this wine, outside of our single-vineyard offering,” he told us, about Chardonnay grown on the Zotovich Family Vineyard as well as Sanford & Benedict, which is one of the five most iconic vineyards in California according to Wine Enthusiast. “We just find that some barrels are more about the variety than the site.” 

The two locations combine to make a wine of beautiful balance: sandy-soiled Zotovich giving a linear palate presence, with citrus, floral, and Sta. Rita Hills’ trademark salinity coming from Sanford & Benedict, where the 46-year old vines also contribute depth and complexity. 

It all adds up to one of the most undeniable slam-dunk exclusives we’ve ever had the privilege to bring to our members. This wine will disappear—do not miss it.