Cima Collina

Cima Collina is one of Monterey’s newer players. Founded in 2004, it produces just 2,000 cases a year – a Pinot Noir, a Bordeaux-style red blend and this exemplary $26 Chardonnay. The grapes are from the Chula Vina Vineyard, which overlooks the Salinas Valley from its perch in the foothills of the Gabilan Mountains, in the northeastern part of the Monterey AVA. The vineyard was planted in 1999 under the guidance of the Pisoni Vineyard crew; the Chardonnay is at the top of the slope, where the soil is primarily decomposed granite, which may help account for the wine’s strong minerality. The site gets plenty of cooling fog in the morning, sunshine in the afternoon, and it’s protected from the afternoon winds that usually howl down the valley during the growing season.

Winemaker Annette Hoff notes that the grapes are all Dijon Clone 76, which ripens unevenly, and that’s “really the beauty. … I think we get a lot of complexity and interesting flavors and aromas from a variety of clusters in varying stages of ripeness.” The 2004 is the first vintage of this Chardonnay, and it’s lovely – a rich, fleshy wine with a firm core of zingy acidity that keeps it from seeming heavy. It displays flavors of lemon cream, ripe apple and hazelnut, accented by that strong minerality.

Reviewed August 29, 2006 by Laurie Daniel.