Presented with a unique opportunity to incorporate some legendary Chardonnay into the repertoire, we pounced. Bien Nacido Vineyards in the Santa Maria Hills AVA has a soft spot in our hearts. It is indisputably one of the greatest terroirs in California, if not the world. At the helm of grape-grower extraordinaire, Chris Hammell, the fruit and resulting wine has both captivated and enthralled us. Within the 750-acre vineyard lies a small iconic parcel named W-Block. Planted in 1973, this is the oldest block of Chardonnay at BNV. It is a world-class piece of the earth that is about as good as it gets for growing small, golden, concentrated, singular Chardonnay grapes. Our 2-acre plot is divided into 6 rows, each comprised of a different clone. Each clone has its own identity, varying cluster size, ripening curve, acidity, smell and taste. Individually they are superb, but together - explosive. If you've ever had the pleasure of tasting the otherworldly 2012 Sine Qua Non "Pearl Clutcher" made by our folks, well, that wine was crafted from the Chardonnay vines that we speak of. Interestingly, 2012 was also the year that I started working at SQN and I can still remember the intoxicating smell of it fermenting as if it were yesterday. The 2020 vintage was marked by another characteristically long growing season that concluded when we night-harvested these small nuggets of cold fruit and pressed directly into mostly new French oak. Father Time did the rest of the work as we patiently kept our hands to ourselves and waited. After nearly two years of tracking their evolution, we racked the resulting nectar from oak into tank at the end of June 2022. A healthy dose of Marsanne (8%) and Roussanne (12%) play the supporting roles and were added just prior to bottling to impart that waxy, honey-like mouthfeel that makes us weak in the knees. As always, no filtering, fining, cold stabilization, or any other nonsense was performed to preserve these beauties in their unadulterated state. If you get your hands on one, buckle up. It's going to be one hell of a joyride. | Nikolas & Julia Krankl for Fingers Crossed