Luli Santa Lucia Highlands Chardonnay 2023

Wine Enthusiast : 93 Points

(10/1/2024) Smashed lemon and herb make for a nose that is both rustic and pure on this bottling. The palate is salty and crisp, showing flavors of Meyer lemon peel and sliced apple that enliven the mouth.

Vinous - Billy Norris : 92 Points

(8/2024) The 2023 Chardonnay (Santa Lucia Highlands) is notable for its juxtaposition of inner sweetness, lemon-like sourness and tongue-tingling minerality. It's all Wente clone from 40-year-old vines, so there's a mass of complexity and expressiveness afoot. Native-fermented in neutral barrel, the 2023 is cool-toned, with toasted almond, peppermint and apricot nuances coursing through its veins. A dusting of sweet spice seasons the finish. Nicely proportioned through and through, the 2023 delivers quite a lot for wine the price. Drinking Window: 2024 - 2032.

Jeb Dunnuck : 91 Points

(8/15/2024) From the Santa Lucia Highlands and raised in neutral oak, the 2023 Chardonnay Santa Lucia Highlands is light gold-hued and bright, clean, classy, and medium-bodied, perfect for drinking over the coming 2-4 years. Ripe citrus, dried herbs, a kiss of blanched almonds, and even a hint of minerality all emerge from the glass. It's balanced, has bright, integrated acidity, plenty of richness, and a great finish. It's more than worth its going rate. Maturity: 2024 - 2028.