Region: Santa Barbara County, California

Varietal: 100% Chardonnay

Tasting notes: Calling a California wine Burgundian in style is to wade into treacherous waters. There is only one Burgundy, after all. But when Dieter Cronje began as winemaker for Presqu'ile, his inspiration was indeed the Côte-d'Or (Dom Dujac to be precise). In California, the sun is awfully hard to avoid, but Santa Maria Valley runs perpendicular to the Pacific, resulting in a cool climate from the fog that rolls in off the ocean.The result is a wine that's bright and fresh, with medium weight and notes of lemon curd, wet stone, and a hint of oak from spending 11 months in barrel (25% neutral French barriques /75% Austrian casks). It may have California roots, but the nod toward France is unmistakable.

Producer: Four generations of the Murphy family have been farming land in Arkansas and Louisiana for nearly a century. A love of the land, combined with a shared reverence for great wine and a desire to create something meaningful and enduring, led them to establish Presqu’ile. Presqu’ile- French/Creole meaning peninsula, or literally translated, “ Almost an Island”, was a beloved family gathering place on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. It was a place that engendered a conviviality among family and friends, evoking a warmth of human spirit and a rapport among all who “passed a good time” there. In August of 2005, hurricane Katrina made landfall ending an era. The Murphy family named their winery in honor of that place and a way of life.

Vineyard and Winemaking: Presqu’ile is a family-owned winery in the Santa Maria Valley, dedicated to crafting exceptional, cool-climate Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Syrah from Santa Barbara County. Presqu’ile Vineyard was designed and planted to create a diverse tapestry of blocks that feature an array of clones, exposures, and elevations. The resulting wines are produced using both estate fruit and high quality fruit from select vineyard sites across the Santa Maria Valley and Santa Rita Hills. Presqu’ile aims to capture the true essence of its vineyards, vintages, and unique senses of place. Certified Organic. Wine made from grapes grown without synthetic pesticides, fertilizers and herbicides in the vineyard. Certified in the country of origin.