2020 Lindquist Family Bien Nacido Chardonnay

This wine is 100% Chardonnay from the Bien Nacido Vineyard in the Santa Maria Valley.  In 2020 (and again in 2021) the grapes came entirely from Block L, one of the oldest Chardonnay blocks, planted in 1973.

2020 was a beautiful year for Chardonnay at Bien Nacido…great balance, structure and flavor development.  It was a warmer than normal vintage on the Central Coast, but these older vines with their deep roots, really handled it well and delivered exceptional quality.

I’ve been making Chardonnay every year since 1982, and I’ve pretty much stuck to the traditional methods that I learned from Jim Clendenen (RIP), which he learned working in Burgundy.  Hand harvesting, whole cluster pressing, complete barrel fermentation along with complete malo, aging on the lees, and using the best Burgundy barrels we can buy!  From the beginning, we have used the French oak barrels made by Francois Freres.  For this 2020 vintage, we used 25% new oak in the mix, 25% once used, 25% twice used and 25% neutral barrels.  This wine was aged 9 months in barrel before bottling in June 2021.

The only thing not traditional about this wine is the Stelvin closure for easy access!

This wine shows classic Santa Maria Valley Chardonnay characteristics…pears and apples, along with hints of citrus and minerals, this all nicely cloaked with sweet French oak.  The flavors are straightforward and very approachable.  Drink this over the next two to three years.

Cheers, Bob Lindquist

*92 Antonio Galloni Vinous

February 2022