Alta Maria Chardonnay has been newly revamped. The beautiful acidity that brings to mind the breeze of Santa Maria Valley is still there. A new vintage has been released that is lighter and can be enjoyed "now."
The Chardonnay comes from two vineyards in the Santa Maria Valley, Gold Coast and Neilson Vineyards, both of which are sustainably farmed and use a mix of 20-25 year old vines as well as relatively new vines.
All the grapes were hand-picked at night. They were pressed as whole clusters and fermented in French oak (40% new barrels), followed by malolactic fermentation. Half of the lot was bottled after 8 months on the lees.
The aroma is of citrus flowers, lemon, verbena, black tea, and Granny Smith. The clear acidity is impressive. There is also a slight hint of spice from the Tronçais French oak barrels. The texture is well-balanced and not too heavy, with a sense of volume. The elegant scent of white flowers lingers pleasantly.
Alta Maria Vineyards was named after the 1800s pioneer James Ontiveros, whose ancestor came to this area on St. Mary's Day in 1855. The land (Rancho Ontiveros) currently owned by James, the ninth generation owner, is a part of this area. It is surrounded by famous vineyards such as Au Bon Climat and Bien Nacido, which supplies grapes to high-end wineries.
In 2004, he founded Alta Maria in collaboration with Paul Wilkins, who taught him wine at university. The winemaker Ontiveros and winemaker Wilkins are most concerned with how to reflect the wonderful terroir of the Santa Maria Valley in their wines. The label features a handmade nail from the pioneer era, which truly expresses their thoughts.
After working in the field management and grape purchasing department of a major winery, he became the sales and marketing director for the Miller Family, which includes the Bien Nacido vineyard. He inherited a small 8-acre vineyard called Rancho Ontiveros from a family that ran a dairy farm, and gradually planted Pinot Noir there. In 2004, he founded Alta Maria with his college friend, Wilkins.
While studying oenology at university, he gained experience working at several wineries. He met John Alban, a pioneer of Rhone varieties in the United States, and in 1998, he rose to the position of assistant winemaker at Alban Vineyards before graduating from university. After working on the production of wines at Alban Vineyards in glorious vintages that received Parker 100 points one after another, he became independent and launched his own brand. In 2004, he started Alta Maria together with Ontiveros, and produces Pinot Noir that carefully expresses the terroir of the Santa Maria Valley.