Antica Terra Aurata 2020
Antica Terra Aurata 2020 – alternate view 2
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Antica Terra Aurata 2020

Antica Terra
$280.00

Grape: Chardonnay
Vintage: 2020
Type: White

This chardonnay represents the second of only two cuvées produced by the estate during the low-yield 2020 growing season. Winemaker Maggie Harrison executed a rigorous cellar audit, selecting only a handful of untouched barrels that escaped the regional smoke issues. The fruit was natively fermented and aged in French oak barrels, prioritizing structural harmony and texturally driven volume over simple fruit density. This direct selection process ensures a clean, long-lived expression of the Eola-Amity Hills terroir.

It pours a medium straw hue, opening with a savory perfume of jasmine, brothy saline, and golden orchard fruit like nectarine. The palate is full-bodied and broad, delivering a warming texture balanced by a rich, creamy baseline of almond and yellow plum. A sharp wave of volcanic acidity slices through mid-palate volume, keeping the rich mouthfeel lively and light. Fine mineral undercurrents integrate with the oak frame, providing excellent structural focus.

Maggie Harrison is a first-generation winemaker, having grown up in the Midwest. With an educational background in International Relations and Conflict Resolution, she fell in love with wine while working in restaurants and set out to follow that passion and create wine. She went on to land the position of assistant winemaker to Manfred Krankl at Sine Qua Non, where she remained for eight years. She is currently the co-owner and winemaker for Antica Terra, producing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay since 2005, and is also responsible for the Syrah at Lillian Winery in Santa Barbara. Initially, it had been her goal to only produce a singular wine, but during blind tastings for blending, she felt the various components would not necessarily complement one another and would overpower or detract from the other. Rather than force them to homogenize, each of the wines bottled today chases the individual and opposing personalities each possesses. Her wines are impeccably expressive and worth seeking out if you can get your hands on them.

I have always found with these wines that I am never compelled to overly coax the wine in tasting. They are distinctive, singular wines that, when given the time to allow the wine to come to you, make the transcendence to art.

- Audrey Frick (9/17/2023) © 2024 Jeb Dunnuck