Lucia by Pisoni Estate Cuvée Chardonnay, Santa Lucia Highlands 2022

The Pisonis farm three of the appellation's most respected sites - Pisoni, Garys' and Soberanes - and the Lucia label is how that fruit reaches a sensible price. This Estate Cuvée draws only on Pisoni and Soberanes: the cool, fog-driven freshness of Soberanes against the rounder weight of the higher Pisoni slopes. Hand-picked fruit is fermented with native yeast and aged in French oak under winemaker Jeff Pisoni, with gravity-flow handling throughout. What keeps a Chardonnay this textured so fresh is the appellation's daily rhythm - overnight fog rolling off Monterey Bay to hold the cold and lock in acidity, burning off to a few hours of mountain sun, then a hard afternoon wind that slows ripening. The house style is restraint over richness - a lightly creamy mouthfeel that never tips into butter, kept honest by that bright acidity. It rewards Burgundy drinkers priced out of the top white Burgundies: the same clean, dry freshness and poise, far less outlay. Expect red apple skin, white peach and lemon oil, with a brûléed-citrus edge and a savoury, mouth-watering finish that pulls you back for the next sip. Serve lightly chilled, 10-12°C.