Yellow apple slice, fresh thyme, lemon zest. Crunchy Bartlett pear, sour cream, clean pineapple juice. Hay funk and sunflowers, nutmeg and raw sourdough. Barely-ripe peach approaches softly with crisp tartness, complicated lightly by wildflowers and mild savory & baking spices. Greek yogurt and yeast wrestle with sandy soil tones and salt in a medium bodied yet energetic frame. Somewhat angular and direct with balanced acidity and nice freshness. This 2016 La Rinconada Chardonnay by Côtière Wine is solid and interesting Santa Barbara County Chardonnay.

Located squarely in the middle of some of the greatest vineyard sites in Santa Barbara's Santa Rita Hills, the La Rinconada Vineyard is quietly producing some terrific high quality wine grapes. While slightly lower in elevation than the neighboring Sanford & Benedict and La Encantada vineyards this site is tucked neatly into a break in the hillsides and boast quality soils of blended sand and loam. This bottling, crafted by Côtière Wine using 100% Chardonnay sourced from the La Rinconada Vineyard, is a fine example of the potential of this site. It shows bright California fruit and pretty oceanic terroir typical of the region with acidity that more than carries this wine through its paces. Although not the most deep, focused, or complex wine we've tried from La Rinconada this stuff is thoroughly pleasant, food friendly, and enjoyable. A nice effort here.