Freddy R. Troya

9.0

Courtney Bentham Unoaked Chardonnay 2023
Santa Barbara, Central Coast, California 🇺🇸

Overview
100% Chardonnay, aged entirely in stainless steel for 6 months. This unoaked style highlights the pure, crisp side of California Chardonnay—clean, sharp, and fruit-forward—offering a modern contrast to the richer, oak-driven styles the state is often known for.

Aromas & Flavors
Fresh notes of green apple, lemon zest, and pear dominate, with subtle hints of peach blossom and saline minerality. No oak influence means the fruit character shines through brightly.

Mouthfeel
Light to medium-bodied, crisp, and refreshing with vibrant acidity. The finish is dry, clean, and mouthwatering, leaving a lingering citrus snap.

Winemaking Notes
Stainless steel fermentation and aging (100%, 6 months) preserve the purity of fruit and emphasize freshness over creaminess.

Food Pairing
Pairs beautifully with oysters, sushi, fresh goat cheese, or citrus-marinated grilled chicken. Ideal as an aperitif on a warm day.

Verdict
A quintessential example of unoaked California Chardonnay—bright, precise, and zesty. For those who prefer freshness and minerality over richness, this is a pure, elegant sipper that captures Santa Barbara’s coastal vibrancy. — 6 days ago

Garth Bardsley

9.3

Gift from Maryann. 2109 vintage. Lovely well rounded flavor. — 2 years ago

Daniel Ciolek

8.9

Well balanced smooth Pinot without the funk that turns me off in a lot of Pinots. I’d drink again. — 4 years ago

Alvaro Bustillos

9.8

Jay rubenstein y amigos courtney — 7 days ago

Dimes

8.9

Pair well with big fireplace and big lake — 8 months ago

Julia Bourne

9.2

14.4% Gift from Richard. — 2 years ago

Christian Fischer

9.2

And I thought yesterday was a bad day at work ... so let’s go with another nice bottle :). This will take a few years to mature but great depth and enjoyable to drink — 5 years ago

Freddy R. Troya

8.9

A small lot produced Chardonnay from Central Coast California, where alluvial, Loam and clay soils and cool clime is the main characteristics to produced a very crispy Chard. 100% steely, clean, sharp, citrus zest, and apricot notes and same flavor collide in the back-end of the palate. Under ripen pineapple and yellow apple keeps lingering after 5 seconds. Very mild Malolactic Fermentation (feels fruity and alive). Liked the zero oaky aspect of it. A perfect supper without any food. — 6 months ago

Scot Walker

9.1

Dark fruit in the nose with blackberries, currants and plums in the palate. The flavors was enhanced with a beef stick, white cheddar cheese, but not cheese curls. — a year ago

Shay A

9.3

I’ve opened a few Ferren Frei Rd chards (normally in the 4-5yr range) and have enjoyed them, but this was my first Lancel Creek. With the release coming up in a few weeks, I wanted to check in and figure out the profile. I’m between a 93-94 here.

Made by Matt Courtney (formerly at Marcassin, also winemaker at Arista). Beautiful straw colored in the glass with maybe a tinge of green, the aromatics are honeysuckle, sweet lemon, and sea salted almonds. I found this to be very similar to the Frei Rd in regards to acidity. So nervy all the way through. Totally coastal, but with a soft touch of rich fruit. Also similar to the Frei Rd, this is lemon everything (fresh squeezed lemon, lemon cream, lemon scone) but the mineral profile is more enhanced here. There’s a stone/slate vibe toward the finish that keeps this light on its feet. Oak is soft and plays a contributing role, not a dominating one.

I enjoyed this at pop and pour, then revisited 2-3hrs later and found the acidity had calmed down a bit. Definitely give this a decant now if possible, or hold a few more years. — 3 years ago