Overlook Chardonnay Named to Top 100 Wines List

It’s hard to overstate how honored we are that
Wine Spectator named our 2016 Overlook Chardonnay one of
their Top 100 wines in the world. In fact, it was one of only
seven Chardonnays that made the list. But to us, this feels like
something more than just recognition of a single vintage.
Because the story of Overlook Chardonnay isn’t one of overnight
success, but of a decades-long journey driven by the spirit of
exploration that’s at the heart of Landmark Vineyards.
The Overlook story began in the early ’90s, when our founder,
Damaris Deere Ford, hired world-renowned enologist Helen Turley
to deepen Landmark’s commitment to Chardonnay. Turley pushed us
to expand our search for the finest grapes to every corner of
California. Her influence was crucial in forging lasting
relationships with the incredibly skilled growers we still work
with today.
For our first Overlook vintage, our winemaker at the time, Eric
Stern, vinified small lots from a wide range of exceptional
vineyards. As good as each individual vineyard was, no lot
accounted for more than five percent of the total blend—rather,
each contributed something unique and special. Since then,
Overlook Chardonnay has been a consistent, award-winning blend
and one of our most important wines.
The next chapter of the Overlook story came in 2007, when Greg
Stach became head winemaker, and Landmark began sourcing our own
land and planting vineyards from scratch. Greg perfected the
process of finding a site with potential, selecting the perfect
varieties to plant in that site, and crafting wine that
showcased the full potential of that particular vineyard. Many
of these lots were chosen for Overlook, but they excited Greg so
much that he was determined to make them stand alone as well.
Soon, Landmark released its first single-vineyard vintages.
Over the past 12 years, our single-vineyard Chardonnays have
truly come into their own. For example, the Hilliard Bruce and
Sangiacomo Chardonnays featured in this year’s spring shipment
have received exceptional accolades from top critics and are
among our Members’ favorites. We love making these small lots
available to our Members and Tasting Room guests so we can
continue to show the diversity and potential of California
Chardonnays.
Stock up now on 2017 Overlook Chardonnay, a one-of-a-kind wine
that delivers both quality and value, or elevate your next
special occasion with one of our single-vineyard Chardonnays.
Better yet, pick up a few bottles of both and build a portfolio
of California’s best!