2024 · Santa Cruz Mountains
Arey Chardonnay
Flint, lemon verbena, and ocean air — four barrels of it.
Jeb Dunnuck 95 points
Arey · 700 ft
$60
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Arey
Santa Cruz Mountains · 700 ft · 14 mi to the Pacific
Maritime influence from both sides, and extremely steep.
The data
- Appellation
- Santa Cruz Mountains
- Elevation
- 700 ft
- Acreage
- 0.75 acres
- Distance to ocean
- 14 mi — 5 miles from San Francisco Bay
- Geology
- Franciscan Complex
- Soils
- Stoney schist with clay loam
- Varieties
- Chardonnay
- Clones
- Old Wente clone 4
- Row orientation
- North to South
- Spacing
- 9 x 6
- Vine age
- 30+ years
What this means in the wine
At 700 feet and 14 miles from the water, Arey ripens on its own schedule. Franciscan Complex underneath keeps the vines lean and the wines tight through the middle; the stoney schist with clay loam holds just enough water to get through a dry September without stress.
Rows run north to south, planted 9 x 6. Vine age: 30+ years. Older wood here gives smaller clusters and more concentrated, more savoury fruit than the young blocks, which is why we keep the lots separate in the cellar and usually bottle them that way too.
From this site