Ancient Peaks Chardonnay 2018
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The 2018 Chardonnay offers enticing tropical aromas of pineapple, papaya and banana with suggestions of citrus and spice. A soft, seamless texture continues on a tropical note, with accentuating layers of peach, apricot and green apple. A smooth, integrated finish is enlivened by crisp acidity and lingering minerality.
The 2018 Chardonnay is made to be versatile with food. Favorable pairings include pan-seared scallops, fresh lobster, grilled citrus chicken, creamy risotto, and aged cheddar cheese.
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Perfumed with chalky chamomile and lemon verbena, this floral beauty scatters an array of honeyed petals on the nose and palate. Flint joins a bouquet of orange blossom and gardenia, adding texture to the mouthfeel. Notes of summer peach feel weighty—almost nectar-like— but it’s balanced by a lean acidity
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We are a family-owned winery specializing in estate-grown wines from Margarita Vineyard, the southernmost vineyard in the Paso Robles appellation on California’s Central Coast.
Just look at a map of Paso Robles wineries and at the very southern tip you will find our Vineyard. Here, amid the rugged Santa Lucia mountain range just 14 miles from the Pacific Ocean, Margarita Vineyard stands alone as the only vineyard in its vicinity, and thus the only vineyard to benefit from the extraordinary growing conditions of the area. Margarita Vineyard resides in the historic Santa Margarita Ranch, which was first planted to vines by Franciscan missionaries in 1774.
Ancient Peaks and Margarita Vineyard are owned by three longtime local winegrowing families—the Filipponis, Rossis and Wittstroms—who are actively involved in the daily operations of the vineyard and winery. Ancient Peaks wines are crafted under the guidance of Mike Sinor, a local winemaking veteran and one of the highest-rated winemakers on the Central Coast.
Ancient Peaks implements numerous sustainable viticultural practices to ensure natural quality in their wines while protecting the rich, native environment surrounding the Margarita Vineyard. Their practices have earned SIP (Sustainability in Practice) Certification for Margarita Vineyard, the leading standard for viticultural sustainability.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
Composed of steep mountain slopes of ancient Salinas River origins at 900 to 1,400 feet in elevation, Santa Margarita Ranch is in the southern portion of the greater Paso Robles AVA.