Bernardus Chardonnay Rosella's Vineyard Santa Lucia Highlands 2018   

NVWE Notes: True to its celebrated vineyard, this is a bright and spicy Chardonnay. The nose is a youthfully coiled medley of lemon zest, pineapple core, fresh apple, white peach and mango scents tied to undercurrents of toasted grain, vanilla wafer, nougat and a bit of oyster. It is dense and juicy on the palate where zest and minerality create a leaner mouth-feel. The aromatic suggestions are all visible on the mid-palate and through the lingering finish, although zest and minerality initially blunt things a bit. Better in twelve to eighteen months, it is more than satisfying already. 423 cases produced.