Wine Each Week: 2017 Wrath EX Unoaked Chardonnay

No doubt you’re not familiar with San Saba Vineyard up in Monterey County, but this little vineyard has been producing stellar fruit for decades. Under the umbrella Wrath Wines label, I first covered them in my 2010 travel book, Santa Barbara & The Central Coast. They have re-worked their Ex Anima label, morphing to simply EX and you’re going to need to find these wines (they have tasting rooms in both  Soledad off Highway 101 and in Carmel). What’s immediately apparent on this Chardonnay is a vitality, a freshness you encounter from the first sip. Guava, pineapple, tropical fruits, lemon-lime, orange zest, and Red Delicious apple all conspire to make a bright, clean and refreshing wine. As the name suggests, there’s no oak treatment. These are 35 year old vines (Clone 4 for the wine geeks) and are sustainably farmed under the SIP Certified Program, insuring that you can feel confident of a do no harm mentality to our environment. And at a meager nineteen bucks, you literally cannot go wrong.

ORIGIN: Monterey, California – Santa Lucia Highlands

PRICE: $19/ 750ML / 814 Cases

ALCOHOL: 13.5%

WRATH WINES

The Grapes of Wrath

What’s in a name? I don’t know. A winery called San Saba started out making innocuous wines. The son took over from the father, re-named the winery Wrath, brought in a new winemaker and now makes really cool wines. Their tasting room, located on the lower level of the Carmel Plaza in Carmel (Monterey County) is an amber lit small space with lots of cherry wood and a quartz bar but it’s a little professional, library-ish and austere looking. Of course, that’s only 1/3^rd of the equation, the other two parts are the wines and the staff. The wines are very good, not cheap, and the staff is knowledgeable, but this isn’t an energetic place. It’s not somber mind you, but does lack an upbeat energy. It’s polite, but not a hoot. Their tastings include the Standard = $10 for 3 wines; Single Vineyard = $20 for 3 wines; and the Pinot Noir = $30 for 5 tastes. So yes, it’s pricy. The Pinot’s are very good and I chose this tasting because it made financial sense, and I liked the wine (the 2009 Ex Vite Pinot Noir - $38). If you buy a bottle the fee is waived. They also offer cheese & crackers for $20 for 3 cheeses. It’s a fine stop with some fine wines and everything will be fine. And sometimes fine is pretty good. http://www.wrathwines.com/

Bottle prices: $30 - $49. Chardonnay, Syrah, Pinot Noir.