Mail Road, Mount Carmel Vineyard Chardonnay, Santa Rita Hills, California, 2021

Overview of the Wine
MAIL ROAD is a project born of a commitment to place.

We strive to produce wines of uncompromising excellence and distinction. Impossible-to-forget wines. Wines that open hearts and engage minds. Wines that are powerful, yet graceful and balanced. Wines that reveal the passion and uncompromising craft that went in their creation. Fifty miles northwest of Santa Barbara, California, on a steep, south-facing cliff, a short few miles from the Pacific Ocean, Mail Road meets its end at the geographic center of The Sta. Rita Hills AVA, the historic and iconic Mt. Carmel Vineyard. The wines produced by Mt. Carmel fruit are remarkable in their lean toward site specifically and marked by deep concentration, exceptional depth, structural complexity and bracing acidity.

Organic.

Grape / Blend
Chardonnay

Origin
Sta. Rita Hills, Santa Barbara, California

Winemaker Matt Dees Tasting Notes
Mount Carmel Vineyard is the exclusive purveyor to Mail Road Wines.  Mount Carmel Vineyard is located on a steep, south-facing cliff, north of the Santa Ynez River. Established in 1990 by Ron and Nancy Piazza, the vineyard is planted to a variety of own-rooted, organically and principally dry farmed, heritage Pinot Noir and Chardonnay clones. The vineyard is at 800 to 1000 feet elevation, with botella clay, limestone, diatomaceous earth, calcerous deposits and sandy loam soils.

96 Points - Vinous
The 2021 Chardonnay Mt. Carmel Vineyard is fabulous. All of the pedigree of this south-facing site comes through in a rich, layered, beautifully resonant Chardonnay endowed with tremendous distinction. Lemon confit, orchard fruit, mint, spice, graphite, and hazelnut all grace this dramatic Chardonnay. Readers will find a Chardonnay of undeniable class, elegance, and personality. Stunning.

96 Points - Jeb Dunnuck 
Ripe melon, brioche, acacia flowers, and chalky mineral notes all emerge from the 2021 Chardonnay Mount Carmel Vineyard, a quintessential Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay has a pure, layered, medium-bodied profile, high yet balanced acidity, solid mid-palate depth, and a lengthy, salty finish that keeps you coming back to the glass. It’s going to benefit from 2-3 years of bottle age and evolve gracefully over the following decade. This is a brilliant Chardonnay from winemaker Matt Dees.

Product size: 750ml