Florèz Wines "Star Drops" Chardonnay, Santa Cruz Mountains, California 2023

FROM JENNY & FRANCOIS:

THE WINE: In this newest Chardonnay cuvee, Florez used only neutral French oak and kept the élevage shorter to preserve brightness. A brisk acidity keeps the wine lively and is signature of this mountain grown fruit. Notes of fresh cut hay, apples and citrus with brioche on the finish. James suggests pairing with seafood and brown butter sage pastas.

THE PRODUCER: Florèz Wines was founded by James Jelks in 2017. Born in Santa Cruz and raised in Davis California Jelks is a west coast kid. After a decade of wine fascination, attending the UC Davis E&V program, and working worldwide Jelks set his sights on producing wines in Santa Cruz county. He is farming some vineyards himself, always dry-farmed, and is also sourcing some fruit from organic and sustainable vineyards. He always works with native yeasts, does not use additives except for a minimal amount of sulfur at bottling, and does not filter the wines.