2018 Patz & Hall Wine Company Chardonnay Soberanes Vineyard Santa Lucia Highlands 750 ml

Along with names like Williams Selyem and Kistler, Patz & Hall practically created the elite canon of California Charonnday. Wine Spectator has called them “one of California’s most consistently outstanding Pinot Noir and Chardonnay producers.” 

So when they team up with two of the top families in Central Coast grape farming, the result is thrilling.

Soberanes Vineyard is a joint project between Pisoni and Franscioni families, who own THE defining vineyards of the Santa Lucia Highlands. Their other properties, Pisoni, Garys', and Rosella’s Vineyard, will be well known to fans of ROAR and Kosta-Browne—who make some of the most expensive Pinot and Chard in California off of the sites. Wine Enthusiast called Soberanes “one of the appellation's most esteemed properties.” 

2018 was Patz & Hall’s debut vintage with Soberanes vineyard, and this bottle is an absolute knockout. ‘18 was one of California’s greatest ever years for the grape, and this bottle is singing right now, blending power and grace. We secured it for a discount we can scarcely believe, and we know it’s gonna disappear fast.

The secret to this wine’s balance of richness and verve is the Pacific Ocean, which defines the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA that’s home to the esteemed Soberanes vineyard. Here, on the edges of Monterey County, cold Pacific fog blankets the vines every morning, dramatically slowing the ripening process and allowing the Chardonnay to develop complex, nuanced flavors and aromas. 

The climatic nuances are so distinctive—and the Soberanes viticultural team so vigilant—that anyone lucky enough to get grapes from the vineyard is going to produce excellent wines. That’s doubly true for a producer like Patz & Hall.

They pick at perfect ripeness and use native yeasts for fermentation to increase complexity and highlight terroir, with enough new French oak to add opulence, but not enough to mask the impressive wine underneath. Rich yet balanced, the 2018 offers up a symphony of citrus, golden apple and toasty brioche across the silken, medium-bodied palate. Now, with a perfect amount of bottle-age, this wine is positively singing—and has the structure to last another several years at peak.