2021 Top Cream

94 points - Vinous
94 points - Jeb Dunnuck

"The 2021 Top Cream is terrific. Bright, vibrant and bristling with energy, the 2021 offers up a compelling mélange of citrus peel, white flowers, mint, peach and dried flowers. This steely Chardonnay opens beautifully on the mid-palate and finish, where its substantial depth becomes more evident..." – Antonio Galloni 

"I loved the 2021 Chardonnay Top Cream, which has a ripe, sexy, concentrated, yet beautifully pure style that’s hard to resist. Honeyed white peach, white flowers, chalky minerality, and a kiss of background oak all define the aromatics, and it's medium to full-bodied, with a layered, opulent texture and a great finish. It's a beautiful wine." – Jeb Dunnuck 

This vintage’s signature comes from the amazing Block L at the Bien Nacido Vineyard in the Santa Maria Valley. The vines are 55 Years Old! Someone should give the owners, the Miller Family, a trophy for nurturing and honoring this phenomenal vineyard for so long. The wines that come from these vines are truly magical, interlaced with depth, transparency and minerality.  European lines meet California richness from fruit that was born to be barrel fermented in a Burgundian style.

The soil is an almost creamy-looking white sand, and was no doubt something akin to ocean sea bed eons ago. It’s the kind of soil that I have seen make stunning Chardonnay over the years in the Sta. Rita Hills. From the perspective of the vineyard, it’s that layer of creamy sand that I call the Top Cream. It may not be from my soil, but Top Cream lives!