Cru Chardonnay Santa Lucia Highlands 2021

One thing is very evident when I tasted this bottle from Cru, there is most definitely a new Chardonnay star brewing in the Santa Lucia Highlands.

This is only the second vintage that Cru has made a SLH Chardonnay, but if this is any indication of what’s to come, they’ll be mentioned amongst the great American Chardonnay estates before long.

Here’s their big secret and one where the economics may not always aline — for now, the Cru SLH Chardonnay is actually a single vineyard bottling and from a pretty outstanding site. It’s certainly no entry-level bottling. It comes exclusively from the heavily-marine influenced Smith & Lindley Vineyard in the SLH which is perched on the terraces of the SLH Mountains.

This is a cool climate Chardonnay, but with tons of morning sunlight, but here’s where they gain an edge over some of their peers. The vineyard gets hit hard by afternoon winds coming off the Pacific. Those winds slow down photosynthesis leading to a long growing season and allowing fruit to mature slowly on the vines for a rich, full-bodied and vibrant Chardonnay expression.