2024 Liquid Farm - Chardonnay Santa Rita Hills Golden Slope (750ml)

Liquid Farm was founded in 2009 by Nikki and Jeff Nelson, who set out to make the kind of Chardonnay they loved to drink themselves: earth and mineral driven, sourced from cool climates, and built with little or no new oak. That search led them to the Sta. Rita Hills, one of California's coolest AVAs and home to ancient, uniquely Chardonnay-suited soils. Rather than one house style, Liquid Farm blends fruit from a handful of standout vineyards across the small appellation to produce a range of Chardonnays that express markedly different personalities while sharing a common thread of minerality and salinity traced back to the vineyard itself.

Golden Slope is Liquid Farm's richer, more textural Chardonnay, built in the spirit of the great white wines of Meursault. The blend is assembled from barrels chosen for extra depth and concentration compared to the winery's leaner White Hill bottling, drawing on top sites throughout the Sta. Rita Hills. The fruit is whole cluster pressed and fermented with native yeasts, then carried through full malolactic conversion before aging fifteen months in French oak, roughly fifteen percent of it new. The result balances richness against the natural acidity that the region's fog and Pacific influence help preserve, earning the wine its nickname "Goldilocks" among Liquid Farm's own team.

The wine offers golden apple, pineapple, and baking spice aromas layered with chamomile and white flowers, backed by a chalky mineral edge. On the palate it is succulent and full without losing its bright acidity, giving real length on the finish. Serve this Chardonnay with roasted lobster, buttered scallops, or a creamy brie.