2019 Dragonette Cellars Chardonnay Sta. Rita Hills 750 ml

We’re never going to pass up the chance to visit Dragonette Cellars: They’re not just friends, but one of the great wineries of the Sta. Rita Hills. The winery is best known for stunning $65 single-vineyard offerings from top sites like Rita’s Crown and Duvarita, but co-winemaker Brandon Sparks-Gillis lights up when you ask him about this 2019 Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay. With the everything-turned-up intensity that’s characteristic of the area, it combines lush fruit, vibrant minerality, and refreshing acidity—all for a steal of a price.

Brandon and co-owners/winemakers John and Steve Dragonette blended this wine through careful barrel-by-barrel blind tasting. The winning blend married equal portions of Chardonnay from the Rita’s Crown, Donnachadh, and Spear Vineyards.

Each vineyard has a different soil type: Rita’s Crown features bright white diatomaceous earth that gives small berries of intense flavor. Donnachadh’s loams are studded with chert, and the constant buffeting of wind creates thick skins on the Chardonnay and rich textures in the wine. Finally, the nearly pure-sand of Spear Vineyard lends elegance and finesse—and the blend of the three combines these strong personalities into a harmonious whole.

The fruit is handpicked, then hand-sorted by Dragonette’s tiny team of three. After crush, the wine settles for 24–48 hours before it’s barrel-fermented with just a touch of new oak in the mix. The wine spends at least 15 months in those barrels, allowing it to develop mineral-driven secondary flavors without any lees-stirring—there’s already plenty of texture from the grapes’ thick skins.

As with all of our Dragonette offers, this is going to disappear in a flash. Anyone who loves high-end California Chardonnay needs to make sure they don’t miss it.