2018 Lafond SRH Chardonnay Sta. Rita Hills 750 ml

The Sta. Rita Hills AVA has often been labeled as an “up and coming,” “need-to-know,” appellation, but one sip of Lafond’s 93-point 2018 SRH Chardonnay is all you need to know that the region has fully and spectacularly arrived. 

This is a stellar release from one of Sta. Rita Hills’ most influential forerunners, a benchmark for the kind of electric, enticing Chardonnay the region can produce. Opportunities to get a top-tier wine from Sta. Rita Hills at a price like this don’t come around often, so take advantage while it lasts. 

Pour a glass and you’ll be pacing the Central Coast hills, hit with a freshness and cool-breeze energy straight off the Pacific. Linger over the glass and you’ll find sun-drenched layers of freshly cut golden apple and butterscotch. The palate, rich and textured, lays out a picnic blanket of marzipan and a generous spread of Asian pear and apricot, exemplifying the kind of “crispness that’s missing from so many California chards” according to the Wall Street Journal.

It’s an experience that rivals the vibrance and alluring richness of top Russian River Valley Chardonnay.

Winemakers and critics agree that Sta. Rita Hills belongs in the ranks of California’s most prestigious wine regions. Vinous called it “A Mecca for cool-climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay,” while Jeb Dunnuck praised its “fantastic vineyards,” and “star-studded lineup of producers.” Already a heavy hitter among Chardonnay and Pinot enthusiasts, Sta. Rita Hills “shows no signs of slowing down,” said Decanter. 

Lafond, a boutique, family-run winery, understands this land better than most. Pierre Lafond was among the region’s first pioneers, founding Santa Barbara Winery in 1962 and later hiring now-renowned winemaker Bruce McGuire. After McGuire recognized the region’s boundless potential for Chardonnay, they began crafting white wines that Robert M. Parker Jr. said were “reminiscent of a top-notch Meursault.” They carried that momentum and intimate knowledge of the land to Lafond, where they’ve continued to produce Chardonnay that stands up to California’s best. 

Cool Pacific breezes are this wine’s muses, the inspiration for their gorgeous concentration and balanced acidity. The Sta. Rita Valley runs east-west, acting like a wind tunnel for ocean gusts. This keeps temperatures cool and growing seasons long, giving the grapes substantial time to develop a rare combination of concentration, structure, minerality, and acidity. The cooler climate also keeps yields low, bolstering the grapes’ overall quality. All together, the region provides an Edenic Chardonnay landscape that very few other places can replicate.

This 93-point 2018 Lafond Chardonnay is next in the line of Sta. Rita Hills royalty, drawn from Lafond’s estate vineyards as well as the esteemed Hilltop Ranch Vineyard nearby. Lafond and McGuire’s encyclopedic Sta. Rita Hills knowledge extracted only the best from a long, cool 2018 vintage that was excellent for cool-climate varieties in particular, a year that Antonio Galloni said produced “truly exceptional” Chardonnay. Dunnuck classified Santa Barbara’s 2018 as “Exceptional,” as well. 

No surprise there. We can’t think of a better word to describe this wine either.