2020 Bien Nacido Estate, Chardonnay, Santa Maria Valley, California, USA

The 2020 Chardonnay Estate Bien Nacido Vineyard is a gorgeous wine that shows the more overt side of this site. Apricot, tangerine peel, chamomile and tropical accents are dialled up. The 2020 is quite rich and extroverted, but there is plenty of acids that add brightness. The 2020 emerges from two blocks planted in 1973 on own-rooted vines.

Anthony Avila turned out a gorgeous set of wines at both Bien Nacido Estate and Solomon Hills Estate. Avila commented that yields were generous in 2020 because of good set. Skins were light though, so extractions took some time. The Chardonnays were mostly off before the worst of the heat, while spikes were harder on the later-ripening varieties. In this vintage, the Pinots were fully destemmed.

Drink 2022 - 2028

Lots of classic buttered stone fruits, toasted hazelnut, and chalky minerality as well as some salty marine nuances emerge from the 2020 Estate Chardonnay, a rich, concentrated, balanced, age-worthy Chardonnay from this great site. Give it a few years and enjoy over the following decade. It was fermented and aged in 45% new French oak and bottled unfined and unfiltered.

These are brilliant wines across the board from Bien Nacido’s Anthony Avila, who has been at the estate since 2013. The farming here is managed by Chris Hammell, and this all-star team is delivering the goods.

Drink 2024 - 2034

The 2020 Chardonnay Estate comes from the own-rooted old vines planted in 1973. It has pretty scents of golden apples, burnt lemon peel, dried tarragon and lots of spicy accents with a gentle creaminess in the background. Medium-bodied and satiny, the palate boasts concentrated citrus underpinned by sparks of mineral character and bright acidity, finishing long and mineral-driven.

Drink 2022 - 2027

With steep slopes and rocky soils at 200m-300m and subject to cooling breezes from the Pacific Ocean, Bien Nacido is one of the prime vineyards in the Santa Maria Valley. This was whole cluster-pressed, then barrel-fermented with native yeasts. It then spent 16 months on lees in 45% new French oak. 

Ronan Sayburn MS: Well-structured, lean and fresh with greengages, apricots and tangerine peel. Gentle use of oak in the background.

Egorov: Super-precise and elegant. Very fresh fruit – lime peel, white peach and starfruit – with a pleasant note of vanilla and great acidity.

Gubbins: This reminds me of a good Cote d’Or blanc, with its green apple, citrus and white peach aromas, a savoury edge, good acidity and well-judged oak.

Drink 2023 - 2033