93pts Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Chardonnay Bar-M has an open nose of quince, warm hay, green apple and pear, baker’s yeast, acacia and dried chamomile with white peach and nectarine plus hints of lime peel and crushed stone. Light to medium-bodied, it has a wonderful core of spicy fruit and wicked minerality in the mouth, amplified by juicy freshness and a long, energetic, layered finish. Yum!
92pts Wine Enthusiast
From a vineyard in the Los Alamos Valley, this bottling by Greg Brewer begins with fresh aromas of passion fruit, citron, lime leaf and wet cement. The palate is tightly wound with slightly sour tones of guava peel, presenting a very fresh, no-oak style that still has plenty of character.
92pts Wilfred Wong
The 2018 diatom Bar-M is an excellent example of a Santa Barbara County Chardonnay. This wine is multi-dimensional. Enjoy its aromas and flavors of ripe core fruit, creamy oak, and mineral notes with a pan-seared, panko-breaded flounder. (Tasted: April 25, 2019, San Francisco, CA)
92pts Jeb Dunnuck
From a vintage described as epic from Greg, the 2018 Chardonnay Bar-M comes from a vineyard just off Highway 101 and vines planted in 1996. It offers Chablis-like lemon notes as well as hints of tropical fruits, a medium-bodied, rounded, textured style on the palate, beautiful fruit, and a clean finish.
Winemaker Notes
Diatom Bar-M Vineyard is sourced from the stunning contiguous blocks of clone 76 Chardonnay planted over 20 years ago in the Los Alamos region of Santa Barbara County.
Los Alamos is a magnificent and relatively unknown region whose sandy loam soil lends itself to fruit with a bit more flesh and weight - perfectly suited to the diatom model.
Like a pent up wave just about to break, rich and luxurious fruit harnessed in by bracing acidity and precision. Lemon, citrus blossom, and wet sand on the nose. Precise and balanced textures. Impeccably clean, focused and transportive to the maritime landscape from which the wine emerges. Saline, white peach flavors.
Vegan