Lea Wines Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir 2013
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Parker
Robert
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Starting off the Pinot Noirs, the 2013 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills is an outstanding effort that offers juicy black cherries, spice, earth and ground herbs in its sweetly fruited, rounded and supple style. There’s good concentration here, and it opens up nicely in the glass. Already delicious, it will thrill over the coming 5-7 years.
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2014-
Parker
Robert
Jennifer's road to winemaking was not a direct one though her interest in wine started early. When she was twelve years old, her mother, a wine importer at the time, decided to move them to Paris for a year. It was an incredible learning experience that immersed Jennifer in French culture and the culture of winemaking. She met winemakers, toured wineries throughout France, and, like her French friends, began tasting the wines served with evening meals. While Jennifer went on to pursue a career in broadcast journalism then a career as a TV and film writer in Los Angeles, her love of food and wine remained an important part of her life. She continued to make regular visits to France and, of course, to her home town of New Orleans which had also fostered her love of great cuisine paired with great wine.
In 2001 Jennifer moved to Santa Barbara County's wine country, feeling that it would be a perfect opportunity to combine her two passions - wine and writing. The beautiful and peaceful countryside provided an idyllic creative setting and gave her an opportunity to start working with local wineries.
In 2002 she met up-and-coming winemaker Joey Tensley. The connection was immediate and by 2003 they were married and had a son, Oliver. Tensley Wines was and remains a relatively small, hands-on operation, and Jennifer spent a great deal of time working side by side with her husband. By 2005 she felt ready to launch her own brand.
Jennifer started Lea Wines with two vineyard-designated Roses, a vineyard-designated Pinot Noir, and a Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir blend. True to the Tensley tradition, there is a simple philosophy behind her winemaking - get out of the way and let the vineyard speak for itself.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
A superior source of California Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills is the coolest, westernmost sub-region of the larger Santa Ynez Valley appellation within Santa Barbara County. This relatively new AVA is unquestionably one to keep an eye on.
The climate of Sta. Rita Hills is a natural match for Chardonnay and Pinot noir, thanks to the crisp ocean breezes and well-drained, limestone-rich calcareous soil. Here, grapes ripen just enough, while retaining brisk acidity and harmonious balance.