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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Drinking window: Drink between 2017 and 2019 (based on 16 user opinions) |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 87.9 pts. and median of 88 pts. in 18 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by studleytrey on 2/26/2022 & rated 85 points: Light golden. Smells like lemon and lime citrus, green apple, pear, wet rocks. Medium to full body, medium (+) acid, medium finish, and flavors largely following suit. Not a bad house white for $10 sale price paid. (369 views) | | | Tasted by merlot78 on 7/5/2019 & rated 83 points: A lot of lemon on the palate. Did not have this on my previous bottles. (1203 views) | | | Tasted by merlot78 on 6/8/2019 & rated 84 points: This chard has lost since my last bottle that we drank almost 3 months ago. it has lost most of the chardonnay characteristics. (1047 views) | | | Tasted by whudock on 4/24/2019 & rated 88 points: no oak, no butter, but not the nuance of a white Burgundy. This is a decent wine and a good value, but it lacks the complexity and flavor that one would seek. (1115 views) | | | Tasted by merlot78 on 3/16/2019 & rated 89 points: Well made. A steal at this price point. (1153 views) | | | Tasted by zin-fan-delaware on 3/2/2019 & rated 80 points: Very disappointing. I had expected a lighter Chablis like chardonnay. This wine had little fruit and an oily taste. High alcohol. (966 views) | | | Tasted by RDHudak on 1/23/2019 & rated 91 points: I think Isaac is right on with his notes below, and also with the Chablis comparison. A lighter bodied wine that went very well with food. This was the opposite of the heavy, buttery chard's that can come domestically. (434 views) | | | Tasted by cjsadler on 9/5/2018 & rated 89 points: Very Chablis-like, with nice acidity and lemon notes. (916 views) | | | Tasted by ecola on 7/30/2018 & rated 88 points: Medium body with bright white stone fruit, minerality and balanced acidity. Easy to drink. Moderate length finish. Does have a Chablis like character to it. Drink now. (837 views) | | | Tasted by thh18731 on 6/6/2017 & rated 89 points: A very nice fruit forward Chardonnay that is balanced. (1037 views) | | | Tasted by jmcmchi on 1/23/2017 & rated 87 points: Screwcap, 15% new French oak
Mineral, slight creaminess on palate, softish acidity finishing mineral. ok (979 views) | | | Tasted by isaacjamesbaker on 5/12/2016 & rated 87 points: Alma Rosa Tasting: Pale gold color. On the nose, I get green apple, lime, floral perfume and some subtle chalk and honey. Medium-plus-bodied with crisp acidity and a slightly creamy mouthfeel (this undergoes 50% maloactic fermentation). Some pineapple accents the yellow and green apple fruit, and I also get some honeyed white tea flavors. Hints of chalk and a saline quality make this attractive. Bright but enough oomph and weight. 15% new oak used and nine months of aging on the lees, this is a well-priced, middle-of-the-road style Chardonnay. (1364 views) |
| Alma Rosa Producer website
40 Years of Sustainable Winegrowing History
Richard Sanford came to the Santa Ynez Valley 40 years ago with the desire to create wines that would rival the best of France. First to recognize the potential of the Santa Rita Hills (now an officially accredited American Viticultural Area as Sta. Rita Hills), and first to plant Pinot Noir vines there, Richard is a pioneer with a well established reputation for excellence in winemaking.
Working in partnership for more than 30 years, Thekla and Richard Sanford founded multiple, successful winegrowing enterprises. Their latest venture, Alma Rosa Winery & Vineyards, represents the culmination of a lifetime’s experience – an enterprise dedicated to creating high quality wines and setting a benchmark for organic farming, sustainable agriculture methods, and environment-friendly commerce.
The Sanford Story
Richard Sanford graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a degree in Geography in 1965. He was immediately drafted into the military and served as a naval officer in the Vietnam war until 1968.
Returning from the war and wanting to pursue a more earth-connected occupation, Richard dreamt of discovering a local climate zone similar to the Burgundy region of France, growing Pinot Noir in California, and producing wine that would rival the best in the world. Using his background in Geography and studying the climates of California since 1900, Richard discovered a remarkable geographic anomaly – the transverse mountain range of California. These mountains run east and west, and the valleys open to the west allowing cool maritime air to blow in and moderate the growing climate.
After locating acreage with well drained soils in the chosen climate zone Richard organized a partnership to purchase a ranch, and there he planted the first Pinot Noir vineyard in the region (at Sanford & Benedict Vineyard in 1970).
At that time, growing grapes of any kind in this region was unheard of, but as it turns out, Richard’s hunch about the area was correct. The climate allows for a long, cool growing season which results in high acid grapes at harvest – perfect conditions for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Since their first bottling, the wines from this region have been known for their extraordinary balance and depth, winning praise and accolades from wine writers and wine aficionados alike.
In 1976 Richard met his future wife Thekla Brumder. They married in 1978, and in 1981 they started Sanford Winery together and for the next 27 years produced award-winning wines sold in 50 states and 16 countries.
In 1983 the Sanfords planted their first 100% organic vineyard at Rancho El Jabalí. The La Rinconada and La Encantada vineyards followed, and in the year 2000 all Sanford estate vineyards were the first in Santa Barbara County to be certified organic by the California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF).
Differences in business philosophy led to a separation from their namesake winery in 2005. Richard and Thekla started in a new direction, leaving Sanford Winery to found Alma Rosa Winery & Vineyards, a new venture dedicated to organic farming and sustainable agriculture. The vineyards of Alma Rosa are located on an original Mexican land grant, Rancho Santa Rosa. In Spanish alma means soul; so the name Alma Rosa reflects the Sanfords’ view that their wines are a reflection of the soul of the rancho. Alma also expresses the soulful connection they enjoy with one another, their employees, and the land where they first became winegrowers more than 35 years ago.
With over 100 acres of certified organic vineyards in the Sta. Rita Hills, Alma Rosa Winery & Vineyards focuses on continued excellence in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, as well as Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, and Pinot Noir - Vin Gris (a dry rosé). All wines are food friendly and display the high acid, and extraordinary balance for which Richard Sanford’s wines have been known since 1976.
With new energy and a positive focus, Richard and Thekla Sanford are excited about Alma Rosa Winery & Vineyards and hope you will continue to enjoy their efforts in bringing you and your family together to share good food, good wine, and a sustainable future.Chardonnay The Chardonnay GrapeUSAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Central Coasthttp://www.ccwinegrowers.org/links.html
http://www.discovercaliforniawines.com/regional-wine-organizations/
http://beveragetradenetwork.com/en/btn-academy/list-of-winegrowers-association-in-central-coast-california-274.htm
Central Coast AVA Wikipedia |
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