Babcock
Grand Cuvee Chardonnay
Santa Barbara AVA
Santa Barbara County
2006
Visual: Medium light yellow
Nose: Fresh peach and lemon, with melon and herbal notes underneath.
Mouth: Silky and lively, with good acidity, this is not a big, round wine. Nice fruit flavors, with impressions of wet stone, and just a hint of toast from the oak in the finish.
Overall impression: For California Chardonnay, this was fresh, a bit lean and minerally Chablis-style wine, with very light hints of oak. Well made, but really not that exciting.
Stats: 5 months in 33% new French oak; 676 cases; $35; My score: 89