Chardonnay
Grown on three steep, rocky mountainsides in coastal California, this Chardonnay is farmed using organic practices and built around old Wente California heritage selection fruit.
Fermented natively with no additives and no adjustments, then double-aged in neutral French oak and stainless steel, it lands in a place that feels mountain-grown and sea-shaped at once.
Citrus zest, summer melon, pineapple, white flowers, and sea salt.
Coastal freshness meets mountain substance.
Vineyard blend: 35% Wildcat Mountain, 50% Arrowhead Mountain, and 15% Santa Cruz Mountains.
Wildcat Mountain: Red volcanic soils on an extremely windy, cool ridge overlooking Sonoma.
Arrowhead Mountain: Old Wente vines planted directly into terraces of pure rock along the Sonoma-Napa border.
Santa Cruz Mountains: Old-vine Wente selection propagated from David Bruce cuttings and planted on a steep, terraced mountaintop above Boulder Creek.
Farming: Organic practices
Vines: Old Wente and Selection 96
Aging: 12 months in neutral French oak, followed by 6 months in stainless steel
Style: Edgy, mineral, bright
Technical: 13.5% ABV, 6.6 TA, 3.32 pH
Recent acclaim: 93 points, Wine Enthusiast (2021 vintage); 92 points, Vinous (2021 vintage); 92 points, View From the Cellar (2024 vintage).
"The 2024 Chardonnay from Joanna Wells’ and Sean Castorani’s Alta Heights is sourced from three different AVAs: Wildcat Mountain, Arrowhead Mountain and the Santa Cruz Mountains. All of the vineyards are planted to old Wente clones. The wine comes in at 13.5 percent octane in the warm summer of 2024 and was aged for one year in older oak casks, prior to being racked in stainless steel for six months finishing élevage. The wine’s bouquet is bright and juicy, hopping from the glass in a mix of fresh pineapple, pear, stony minerality, fruit blossoms, a nice touch of citrus zest and a gentle foundation of oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and generous to the core, with fine soil undertow and grip, zesty with fine soil undertow and grip, zesty acids and lovely balance on the long, complex and succulent finish. Lovely juice. 2026-2035. 92" John Gilman, View from the Cellar