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California’s Liquid Farm has rapidly gained a reputation for making thrilling chardonnays from the cool vineyards of the Santa Rita Hills.
It’s an oft-quoted adage that great wine is made in the vineyard, and here even the winery’s name refers to the conviction that they are making "liquid from farming.”
The winery was started by Jeff Nelson and James Sparks, to produce chardonnays that reflect the finest examples from France, with more emphasis on freshness, minerality and drinkability. The winemaking is essentially hands off, with early picking, use of natural yeasts wherever possible, and a preference for neutral oak.
They focus on the Santa Rita Hills, a region that combines a cool climate thanks to cold air drawn from the Pacific with complex soils derived from fossilised sea life, that bear more than a passing resemblance to those in Burgundy. The wines are mineral, vibrant, and textured.
When they started in 2009, with just four barrels, they intended to produce just one wine to represent the entire region. Yet the wines had another idea. Two barrels were taut and mineral – more Chablis-esque, if you will. The other two were riper and richer, and more reminiscent of the Côte d’Or. These two styles have endured, under the names White Hill and Golden Slope respectively.
As they’ve increased access to top, tiny parcels, new wines have entered the range. The Four Chardonnay is a selection of the most compelling barrels in the cellar. The Hermana Chardonnay comes from the Santa Maria Valley, the sister to the Santa Rita Hills. As you might expect from winemakers with an obsession for Chardonnay, they’ve more recently branched out into Pinot Noir, with a selection of single vineyards, as well as a blend from across Santa Barbara County, the S.B.C.