Ojai Chardonnay Special Bottling Puerta Del Mar 2020

96 Points, Jeb Dunnuck – 95 Pts, Antonio Galloni- Vinous. The highest rated Chardonnay yet!

**This is a super rare bottling. Less than 80 cases were made with most carefully passed out to the Ojai allocation list. I managed to get 54 bottles to offer up today. First come first served.**

One American winemaker that I’ve always admired whose Chardonnays are cut from the French cloth is Adam Tolmach at Ojai. I’ve known Adam and his Assistant Winemaker, Fabien Castel for over a decade and over that time I’ve tried a lot of their wines. The Chardonnays are always impeccably balanced, with tremendous acidity and minerality that I love. He’s a boundary pusher, constantly tinkering, never following rules and experimenting with sugars, acidity, pick dates, barrels and everything else under the sun.

Perhaps their greatest white wine release to date is the uber small batch of Special Bottled Chardonnay from the Puerta del Mar Vineyard. PDM or the “door to the sea” is the perfect vineyard to challenge the classically trained winemaker. It’s the chilliest vineyard in the Ojai fleet and the perfect one for making White Burgundy-esque Chards with piercing minerality and natural acidity. Perched on the very edge of where grapes can actually get ripe, just a ridge away from the Pacific. The vines struggle mightily – which in excellent vintages means a concentration of flavor and depth that is truly absolutely remarkable. 

Read Galloni’s rave review below where he calls the wine, “gorgeous” or Jeb Dunnuck’s 96-point review in which he finishes with, “It brings another level of depth and complexity and is a brilliant Chardonnay.”

$49.99

Out of stock

96 Points, Jeb Dunnuck
Made in tiny quantities, the 2020 Chardonnay Puerta Del Mar Vineyard Special Bottling is a deeper, richer, more serious Chardonnay that warrants serious attention. Offering classic Chardonnay stone fruits, toasted brioche, and chalky minerality, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a layered, concentrated mouthfeel, high yet integrated acidity, subtle oak, and a great finish. It brings another level of depth and complexity and is a brilliant Chardonnay.

95 Points, Vinous
The 2020 Chardonnay Special Bottling Puerta del Mar is gorgeous. The 2020 offers up hints of lemon confit, white flowers, mint and pear that all take shape in this creamy, layered Chardonnay. The 2020 spent 16 months in barrel, so on the longer side.

96 points, Jeb Dunnuck – 95 Points, Vinous

“Made in tiny quantities, the 2020 Chardonnay Puerta Del Mar Vineyard Special Bottling is a deeper, richer, more serious Chardonnay that warrants serious attention. Offering classic Chardonnay stone fruits, toasted brioche, and chalky minerality, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a layered, concentrated mouthfeel, high yet integrated acidity, subtle oak, and a great finish. It brings another level of depth and complexity and is a brilliant Chardonnay.”

Poached lobster is a perfect match

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