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Chanin, “Los Alamos” Chardonnay

Other, United States 2017 (750mL)
$39.00
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Chanin, “Los Alamos” Chardonnay

In remarkably short order, Chanin has become one of California’s most buzzworthy producers, and that contagious fame has spread into Americas’ finest dining establishments, gatecrashed Europe’s gastronomic meccas, and dominated the most respected wine publications. All this, it seems, would mean less for you and me—but we have a leg up on most of the fierce competition. Way back in the spring of 2014, when our “doors” officially opened, the 2012 version of today’s “Los Alamos” Chardonnay became one of the first offers we ever showcased. Over the years, our relationship has strengthened, with several of us even making the trek down to visit on numerous occasions. So, while it has taken years to slip that ace up our sleeve, the end result has been the ability to keep offering stunning wine like today’s. 
Unless your head is buried in the sand or you’re new to our website, Chanin’s ability to coax the purest expression of each unique Santa Barbara vineyard while maintaining a resolutely traditional, “old world” approach to winemaking is practically unrivaled—not to mention each rotating label is drawn/photographed/painted by Gavin Chanin himself. There’s a reason demand is high and reviews are gushing. Just do a quick search for today’s 2017 “Los Alamos” and the critics will tell you it’s a “lively Chardonnay with class,” or that it is “pinpoint in precision and utterly pure.” The praise is neverending but the short supply is: Take what you can and enjoy yet another outstanding release from this culty Chardonnay master. 
Gavin is the king of his craft when it comes to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, but there’s no denying he’s a full-blooded jack of all trades. If he’s not out surveying vineyards or buried in a row of barrels at his winery in Lompoc’s “Wine Ghetto,” you’d have trouble pinning him down: He could be in Los Angeles crunching numbers with his mother/bookkeeper, out on a recovery mission for his volunteer work at the local search and rescue, working on new labels for upcoming releases, or talking about his critically acclaimed wines in a number of major European and Asian hubs. 

There’s a reason his label has caught the world’s attention so quickly: Gavin’s first harvest came at 18 under the mentorship of Au Bon Climat’s famously eccentric Jim Clendenen, and with the additional guidance of Qupé’s pioneering Bob Lindquist, Gavin was making his own wine (from the best vineyard sites) within a matter of years. Learning under two of California’s greatest wine minds and crafting wine from premium, sustainably farmed grapes from the beginning propelled him into launching his own eponymous label in 2007. 
 
Wedged between Santa Maria and Santa Ynez, “Los Alamos” is a decidedly cool-climate terroir that sits 800 feet above sea level and enjoys rich sandy loam soils interspersed with lime. The wines here tend to be high-toned, perfumed, and accented by ripe notes of citrus—and Gavin, of course, coaxes out its best traits in the winery. His sustainably farmed grapes were gently pressed directly into high-quality French barrels where fermentation and subsequent aging, without any bâtonnage (lees stirring), occurred. Its total time in barrel was 14 months, but this isn’t burdened by heavy-handed spice and richness because new oak was limited to just 10% (25 barrels were produced, so just 2-3 barrels were new). Bottling occurred without filtration and, to this day, the wine has never moved from its original location.

Here’s our recurring PSA for Chanin’s wines: Give them time to open up and it will keep evolving and exponentially rewarding you. Like the finest white Burgundy, the alcohol is kept in check here, but the palate offers a “full” experience due to piano-wire tension, mineral profundity, and layers of textured fruit. For this specific bottling, allow at least 60 minutes in a decanter before pouring into large Burgundy stems, and try to extend your bottle as long as possible. Mine performed at its absolute best on its second evening: It had shed its high-strung energy and settled into a beautiful, deeply textured, deliciously generous Chardonnay. Notes of quince, yellow apple, salted lemon, white pear, and lime blossoms rolled out alongside toasted hazelnut, lees, crushed stones, vanilla bean, honeysuckle, and damp white flowers. The palate was broad and perfectly delineated with energizing citrus and orchard fruits, as well as a persisting core of finely crushed minerals. It’s absolutely delicious as is, but give this another one or two years in bottle for the real fireworks—Chanin’s wines at 5-7 years old enter an entirely new dimension. Cheers!
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Country
United States
Region
Other
Sub-Region
United StatesSanta Barbara County / Los Alamos Vineyard
Soil
Sandy Loam
Farming
Sustainable
Blend
Chardonnay 100%
Alcohol
13.0
OAK
10% New French
TEMP.
50-55
Glassware
Large Burgundy Stem
Drinking
Now-2025+
Decanting
60+ Minutes
Pairing
Seared Scallops w/ Herb-Butter Sauce

United States

Washington

Columbia Valley

Like many Washington wines, the “Columbia Valley” indication only tells part of the story: Columbia Valley covers a huge swath of Central
Washington, within which are a wide array of smaller AVAs (appellations).

Oregon

Willamette Valley

Oregon’s Willamette Valley has become an elite winegrowing zone in record time. Pioneering vintner David Lett, of The Eyrie Vineyard, planted the first Pinot Noir in the region in 1965, soon to be followed by a cadre of forward-thinking growers who (correctly) saw their wines as America’s answer to French
Burgundies. Today, the Willamette
Valley is indeed compared favorably to Burgundy, Pinot Noir’s spiritual home. And while Pinot Noir accounts for 64% of Oregon’s vineyard plantings, there are cool-climate whites that must not be missed.

California

Santa Barbara

Among the unique features of Santa Barbara County appellations like Ballard Canyon (a sub-zone of the Santa Ynez Valley AVA), is that it has a cool, Pacific-influenced climate juxtaposed with the intense luminosity of a southerly
latitude (the 34th parallel). Ballard Canyon has a more north-south orientation compared to most Santa Barbara AVAs, with soils of sandy
clay/loam and limestone.

California

Paso Robles

Situated at an elevation of 1,600 feet, it is rooted in soils of sandy loam and falls within the Highlands District of the Paso Robles AVA.

New York

North Fork

Wine growers and producers on Long Island’s North Fork have traditionally compared their terroir to that of Bordeaux and have focused on French varieties such as Cabernet Franc and Merlot.

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