2021 Mer Soleil Chardonnay Reserve Santa Lucia Highlands 750 ml

Chuck Wagner has always been a visionary.

The man who made Caymus into Caymus—a household name and blue-chip California icon—he built his reputation by spotting opportunities long before the rest of the wine world.

That’s why in the late 1980s, when he and his son Charlie were looking for the first vineyard sites for the Chardonnay project now known as Mer Soleil, they settled on the then-barely-known Santa Lucia Highlands.

As the first vines went into the ground in 1988, there wasn’t even an AVA bearing the name of the region—that would come in the 90s—but Wagner knew a perfect climate for growing world-class Chardonnay when he saw it.

A giant underwater canyon just offshore from nearby Monterey Bay creates a rush of cool air that zips down the Salinas Valley and hits the east-facing Santa Lucia Highlands vineyards like clockwork every afternoon, moderating the abundant sunshine and ensuring an extended growing season. That long hang-time—the vines often begin sprouting buds in February, long before Napa wakes up, and grapes typically are picked into October—means that it’s hard to top the Santa Lucia Highlands for flavor-packed Chard.

These days, Mer Soleil is practically synonymous with bold, full-bodied Chardonnay, replete with luscious fruit and opulent textures—and at our price, it’s one of the best values for the style as well.