Tyler Chardonnay, Santa Barbara County, California 2024
Tyler Winery was founded in 2005 by Justin Tyler Willett, a Santa Barbara native who began his career as assistant winemaker to Joe Davis at Arcadian Winery. Working at the age of 24 from a few barrels in a shared Sta. Rita Hills cellar, Willett built Tyler into one of the most critically admired Chardonnay and Pinot Noir producers in California. His winemaking is shaped by Burgundian principles absorbed through close study of producers including Roulot, Bonneau du Martray, and Dujac, and by a foundational belief that the work is done in the vineyard. Willett picks earlier than regional convention to preserve acidity and aromatic precision, uses native yeasts, minimizes new oak, and avoids batonnage — practices oriented toward transparency and site expression over winemaking imposition. In 2015, he and his wife Amanda established the Mae Estate, a 28-acre Sta. Rita Hills vineyard planted to Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Syrah, followed by a partnership in the historic Fiddlestix Vineyard. Tyler is distributed by Skurnik Wines. Total production is approximately 5,000 cases annually across twelve bottlings from 22 parcels within seven vineyard sites. The Santa Barbara County bottling represents Tyler's county-wide appellation expression, drawing from the most storied vineyard sites in both the Sta. Rita Hills and Santa Maria Valley.
- WINEMAKER: Justin Tyler Willett
- FARMING: Sustainable. Justin Willett plays an active role in all vineyard decisions and works only with growers who grant him direct viticultural input. Mae Estate is organically farmed.
- VARIETY: 100% Chardonnay. 2024 sourced from Bien Nacido (Santa Maria Valley; planted 1973, 1995; clay and shale soils), Dierberg (Santa Maria Valley; planted 1997; clay, shale, and sand soils), La Rinconada (Sta. Rita Hills; planted 1999; clay loam soils), and Sanford & Benedict (Sta. Rita Hills; planted 1971; chert-gravel and clay soils).
- TERROIR: Fruit is drawn from two of Santa Barbara County's most celebrated appellations. The Sta. Rita Hills, oriented east-west along a transverse mountain range, channels direct Pacific ocean influence through a wind gap in the Santa Ynez Mountains, producing conditions of marked diurnal temperature variation and cool-climate ripening ideal for Burgundian varieties. The Santa Maria Valley similarly runs east-west and benefits from afternoon Pacific winds and marine-influenced soils. Sanford & Benedict (planted 1971) and Bien Nacido (planted 1973) are among the oldest and most historic Chardonnay sites in California. Soils across these vineyards include loam, sandy loam, clay loam, shale, and chert — predominantly marine sediment derived, contributing the mineral and saline character associated with Santa Barbara County Chardonnay.
- VINIFICATION: Grapes hand-harvested at night into half-ton bins. Whole-cluster pressed; juice exposed to oxygen without CO₂ or SO₂ addition. Juice settled overnight in tank, then racked to a second tank. Native fermentation initiated as juice reaches cellar temperature; when the first significant Brix drop is observed, wine is transferred to barrel — 550L puncheons or 220L barriques. Full malolactic fermentation completed. No batonnage. 15% new French oak. Wine rests on lees in barrel for 10 months, then racked to tank for an additional 3–4 months prior to bottling. Lightly filtered before bottling.
- AGING: 10 months in barrel (15% new French oak; puncheons and barriques), followed by 3–4 months in tank.
- TASTING NOTES: Aromatically mineral-driven, with flint, white chalk, stone and citrus fruits, and a delicate floral note. The palate is focused and lean, with white pepper, green apple, and persistent minerality. Bright acidity throughout.
- FOOD PAIRINGS: Oysters, grilled halibut, crab, roast chicken with herbs, soft-ripened goat cheese.
Tyler Chardonnay, Santa Barbara County, California 2024
Tyler Winery was founded in 2005 by Justin Tyler Willett, a Santa Barbara native who began his career as assistant winemaker to Joe Davis at Arcadian Winery. Working at the age of 24 from a few barrels in a shared Sta. Rita Hills cellar, Willett built Tyler into one of the most critically admired Chardonnay and Pinot Noir producers in California. His winemaking is shaped by Burgundian principles absorbed through close study of producers including Roulot, Bonneau du Martray, and Dujac, and by a foundational belief that the work is done in the vineyard. Willett picks earlier than regional convention to preserve acidity and aromatic precision, uses native yeasts, minimizes new oak, and avoids batonnage — practices oriented toward transparency and site expression over winemaking imposition. In 2015, he and his wife Amanda established the Mae Estate, a 28-acre Sta. Rita Hills vineyard planted to Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Syrah, followed by a partnership in the historic Fiddlestix Vineyard. Tyler is distributed by Skurnik Wines. Total production is approximately 5,000 cases annually across twelve bottlings from 22 parcels within seven vineyard sites. The Santa Barbara County bottling represents Tyler's county-wide appellation expression, drawing from the most storied vineyard sites in both the Sta. Rita Hills and Santa Maria Valley.
- WINEMAKER: Justin Tyler Willett
- FARMING: Sustainable. Justin Willett plays an active role in all vineyard decisions and works only with growers who grant him direct viticultural input. Mae Estate is organically farmed.
- VARIETY: 100% Chardonnay. 2024 sourced from Bien Nacido (Santa Maria Valley; planted 1973, 1995; clay and shale soils), Dierberg (Santa Maria Valley; planted 1997; clay, shale, and sand soils), La Rinconada (Sta. Rita Hills; planted 1999; clay loam soils), and Sanford & Benedict (Sta. Rita Hills; planted 1971; chert-gravel and clay soils).
- TERROIR: Fruit is drawn from two of Santa Barbara County's most celebrated appellations. The Sta. Rita Hills, oriented east-west along a transverse mountain range, channels direct Pacific ocean influence through a wind gap in the Santa Ynez Mountains, producing conditions of marked diurnal temperature variation and cool-climate ripening ideal for Burgundian varieties. The Santa Maria Valley similarly runs east-west and benefits from afternoon Pacific winds and marine-influenced soils. Sanford & Benedict (planted 1971) and Bien Nacido (planted 1973) are among the oldest and most historic Chardonnay sites in California. Soils across these vineyards include loam, sandy loam, clay loam, shale, and chert — predominantly marine sediment derived, contributing the mineral and saline character associated with Santa Barbara County Chardonnay.
- VINIFICATION: Grapes hand-harvested at night into half-ton bins. Whole-cluster pressed; juice exposed to oxygen without CO₂ or SO₂ addition. Juice settled overnight in tank, then racked to a second tank. Native fermentation initiated as juice reaches cellar temperature; when the first significant Brix drop is observed, wine is transferred to barrel — 550L puncheons or 220L barriques. Full malolactic fermentation completed. No batonnage. 15% new French oak. Wine rests on lees in barrel for 10 months, then racked to tank for an additional 3–4 months prior to bottling. Lightly filtered before bottling.
- AGING: 10 months in barrel (15% new French oak; puncheons and barriques), followed by 3–4 months in tank.
- TASTING NOTES: Aromatically mineral-driven, with flint, white chalk, stone and citrus fruits, and a delicate floral note. The palate is focused and lean, with white pepper, green apple, and persistent minerality. Bright acidity throughout.
- FOOD PAIRINGS: Oysters, grilled halibut, crab, roast chicken with herbs, soft-ripened goat cheese.