Richard Alfaro had a former life as the founder of Alfaro’s Micro Bakery before he bought an aging apple farm in Corralitos in 1997 and turned it into one of the Santa Cruz Mountains’ most quietly consistent estates. The ‘A’ Chardonnay is the entry into his estate range and draws from his original Corralitos plantings plus fruit from the famed Trout Gulch Vineyard further west. Just seven months in French oak, only 20% new, so it’s about fruit and site rather than barrel. The Santa Cruz Mountains cool-climate stamp is unmistakable: bright acidity, leaner build, no heavy lifting.