2024 Samuel Louis Smith "Les Granitiers" Monterey County Chardonnay

This blend cruises from the eastern Monterey peaks of the Gabilan Mountains (44% Coastview Vineyard) to the hills of the Santa Lucia Highlands (43% Fogstone), and terraces of the Carmel Coast (10% Pelio), with a dash of Santa Barbara’s Sta. Rita Hills (3% Spear). The nose’s earthy, wetrock minerality pairs with honeysuckle, then drops into a chalky palate of Asian pear and lychee. (MK)

There are few young winemakers in the business with more raw talent than Sam Smith. His wines have that magical balance of edgy, electric vibrancy, elegant refinement, and quiet repose all at the same time. They show incredible purity and a vivid sense of place. Made using very non-interventionist techniques, they remain polished and sophisticated nonetheless. The 2024 Les Granitiers Chardonnay is built around three high-elevation vineyards in Monterey County, each with dramatic terroir. Coastview Vineyard sits at 2,300 feet in the Gabilan Mountains, planted in hard granitic soils, above the fog but constantly cooled by ocean breezes. Pelio Vineyard rises 1,000 feet above the Carmel Valley floor, again cooled by Monterey Bay, but also defined by its striking diatomaceous shale soils that seem to impart complex minerality to the wines. Then there is Fogstone, a site in the northern, windswept part of the Santa Lucia Highlands, where granitic loam soils and progressive organic farming produce highly concentrated, flavorful clusters of fruit. Sam weaves these sites together with deft precision, and the results are mesmerizing. Complex aromas of struck flint, crystalline preserved citrus, crushed granite, crunchy orchard fruit, and saline minerality carry through to a long, Chablis-like finish. This is focused, racy, mineral-driven Chardonnay done to perfection. Delicious now for its electric drive and freshness, it will no doubt age beautifully for 5-10 years if you can resist it that long. Best Chardonnay in California? It’s right up there, for sure.