Ryan Deovlet built up years of wine interest bouncing around Australia, New Zealand, and Argentina, but discovered his true winemaking abilities under Stephen Dooley of Stephan Ross Wine Cellars and as the assistant winemaker for Red Car Wine Company. His return to California in 2008 prompted the first-ever release under his own label. Over the past 14 vintages,  he’s become a certified winemaking rockstar on the Santa Barbara County wine scene. Just ask Vinous’ Antonio Galloni: “Ryan Deovlet is one of the most exciting young winemakers...his wines, which emerge from some of the top sites in Santa Barbara, are impeccable, pure, and wonderfully transparent to site.”

One such site is Solomon Hills, located in the Santa Maria Valley and owned by the Miller family of famed Bien Nacido Estate. Based entirely on sandy loam and situated just 10 miles from the Pacific Ocean, Solomon Hills is a perfect cool-climate site. In terms of temperature averages, it is as cold as Champagne; the Mosel Valley in Germany; Kremstal in Austria; and Burgundy’s Cote d’Or. As such, the wines here typically showcase more intense minerality and purity.

That’s largely the reason Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate called Deovlet’s Chardonnay bottling from here as “California's answer to Vincent Dauvissat's Chablis La Forest,” a bottling that’s currently selling for $150. And while I do understand the comparison—because the wine is loaded with verve and mineral presence—the 15 months in oak barrels (30% new) pushes me more towards Puligny-Montrachet. Polish your Burgundy stems and allow 15-20 minutes in a decanter and you’ll uncover complex, lifted layers of yellow apples, salt-preserved lemon, toasted hazelnuts, lime blossoms, Asian pear, acacia, pineapple core, and baking spices. The palate is rich and tension-filled, delivering a churning core of ripe yellow fruits with a trailing savory edge on the finish. It’s a fascinating experience, especially if you stretch your bottle out over two evenings. Cheers!