The 2024 Arnot-Roberts Sanford & Benedict Vineyard Chardonnay is a Sta. Rita Hills bottling drawn from one of California’s landmark sites. The fruit comes from “the most historic part of the site,” according to Vinous, specifically “a section that was planted with own-rooted vines in 1971.” That old-vine sourcing matters here: this is a Chardonnay built on structure and mineral detail as much as fruit, with the cool-climate tension Sta. Rita Hills is known for.

Critical reception is strong, highlighted by an excellent **96-point** review from **JamesSuckling.com**. Staff writer and taster Courtney Humiston calls it “a mineral-driven wine that is dense and concentrated yet elevated, bright and salty,” emphasizing a style that’s less about overt ripeness and more about energy and grip. Humiston adds that it is “textural and austere at this young age,” finishing “long” with a notable “citrus-oil bitterness at the end,” and concludes: “Drink or hold.” That note suggests a wine that will reward patience, even if it already shows plenty of intensity.

**Vinous** also rates the wine highly at **92 points**, with Antonio Galloni describing it as “creamy yet vibrant, with lovely textural depth.” Galloni highlights a classic Sanford & Benedict profile—“orchard fruit, white flowers, slate, chalk, mint and sage”—and praises how those flavors “gain intensity through the tense, salivating finish,” noting that “this builds nicely on the back end.” While he adds that he would like “a bit more textural depth and site character,” he still frames it as “an attractive wine” with clear appeal.

The wine was released September 16, 2025, at **$60** per bottle. Overall, expect a Chardonnay that leans mineral, bright, and savory, with enough concentration to develop further in bottle.