The 2020 Chardonnay La Entrada offers herbal tones over a core of golden apples and touches of saline and spice. The medium-bodied palate strikes a fine balance between concentrated, expansive flavors, chalky mineral tones and focused, mouthwatering acidity, and it has a very long finish. What an energetic expression!

The 2019 Chardonnay La Entrada, from the La Rinconada vineyard, offers exceptional precision and energy this vintage. Its aromas require significant time to unfold from petrichor to deeper tones of hazelnuts and beeswax, and the silken palate mirrors that same dynamic transition from tangy mineral to broad honeyed notes that define the expansive finish. This cuvée was matured for 16 months in 25% new French oak—Sanford has been fine-tuning winemaking and dialing back on the new oak. "Using a lot of new oak, you can get away with not being thoughtful," says winemaker Trey Fletcher. "When you back away from that, you have to be more thoughtful because things show through." This wine demonstrates how little added polish the best wines in Santa Barbara county really require. 3,887 cases were made.