Rancho Viñedo, Chardonnay "Doña Martina" Santa Maria Valley, California 2017

The Rancho Viñedo "Doña Martina" Chardonnay is sourced from the Wente Clone 72 Chardonnay and Martini Clone Pinot Noir from Rancho Viñedo Vineyard, a parcel of the original Rancho Tepusquet Land Grant. It is a reflection of the rugged location of the originally farmed, low-yield vineyard, this Chardonnay is an expression of its place: lean and crisp with resilient character. Sitting on gross lees until bottling, at which point it’s bottled unfined and unfiltered.

The Rancho Viñedo Vineyard, at the Western portion of the original Rancho Tepusquet Land Grant, was planted to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes in 1973 by the Robert N. Woods family. The vineyard continued to be farmed by the Woods’ hands until 2012, when James leased the vineyard. He now operates it with the assistance of Robin Woods.

Old vines, on their own roots are the main draw of Rancho Viñedo. It also offers completely different soil and a terrific juxtaposition to the land James was already farming at the Rancho Ontiveros Vineyard. Although only four miles away, the soils of Rancho Viñedo are millions of years older, the vines decades older, and the property itself carries a meaning that might be hard for someone else other than James, the descendant of this land, to appreciate.