First of all, we must make the point that this Pence has nothing to do with politics that we know of. Blair Pence owns a 200-acre working ranch in the western part of the Santa Rita hills with his vines situated on rocky soils . By their own description, “Seen from above, it appears as an island on an elevated plateau, which has been slowly eroded over time on all sides and is thus fully exposed to merciless cold ocean winds, morning fog and other Pacific Ocean influences. It is this combination of stressful conditions that provides the character considered essential to making great wines from our location.”
Thing is it seems like everybody has some sort of angle to assert that their wine is better. This one actually is. The Pence Ranch Chardonnay Santa Rita Hills 2016 is one of the best under $20 Chardonnays we have tasted from California in quite some time. To some people that means something that is ‘rich and round, mouth-filling and oaky’ (and probably pumped up with residual sugar and wood chips). If you are looking for that kind of in-your-face style, this is not that.
This one surprised us because it had sufficient size, a great palate feel, nuanced flavors of pear, ‘butter’, and apple, and bright acidity. In other words, it tasted like Chardonnay, with the kind of fruit, purity, balance and nuance that engages rather than overwhelms. We’re going to go out on a limb and presume that the winemaking probably has a lot to do with this.
As soon as we tasted this one, we were pretty sure whoever made it knew what they were doing. The winemaker of record here is one Sashi Moorman, a talented fellow involved in a few side projects as well as his own PiedraSassi, Sandhi and Domaine de la Côte labels. The stuff coming out of Sandhi now is quite impressive, and his touche seems to have worked beautifully with Pence’s ocean-influenced Chardonnay.
Yeah we can produce a review from Jeb Dunnuck, “92 Points! The 2016 Chardonnay Estate has some caramelized notes as well as ripe orchard fruits and brioche, lip-smacking acidity, a rounded, beautifully textured feel, and a great finish. Aged 9 months in 25% new Ermitage barrels, drink it over the coming 3-5 years.”
But one on one, as opposed to some kind of multi-item blind review tasting, one will be able to sense a lot going on.
This is a beautiful option in today’s varied Chardonnay world. But it wasn’t made to win a tasting with added bell and whistles. It was instead made to be what it is supposed to be, a well-made, tasty, versatile, personality-filled ‘real’ Chardonnay made by a guy who is well acquainted with what great Chardonnay is supposed to taste like. A sneaky value, we could try and make a big splash but, frankly, that’s not the format to sell a wine like this. This Chardonnay speaks for itself without yelling and enough people should ‘get it’.