Ryan Cochrane Solomon Hills Vineyard Pinot Noir 2013
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Ryan Cochrane left his San Francisco advertising gig in 2009 to make wine, and this bottling is evidence he made the right move. Wild mint shrubs, dried purple violets, elderflowers and pencil shavings show on the nose. The palate is heavily spiced with sagebrush, eucalyptus and other chaparral elements found near this increasingly amazing vineyard adjacent to Highway 101.
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Ryan Cochrane makes hand-crafted Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in extremely small quantities. With grapes sourced from the best vineyards, Ryan produces food-friendly, structured wines that reflect the sites from which they originated. More importantly, he just wants to create wines that make people smile.
Back in 2009, he wasn’t smiling a lot. The advertising agency he was working at had just imploded. Ryan started freelancing, but it was a bad time for work in San Francisco. He had always dreamed about making wine, so one foggy morning in July, he decided to stop dreaming about it and do it for reals.
He contacted Roger Nicolas at RN Estate in Paso Robles and asked if he could intern with him. Roger makes beautiful wines, but he was equally enamored of his DEY (do everything yourself) approach to his business. That year, he helped in all phases of harvest, from vineyard work in the spring to pressing and barreling in the fall.
Ryan came back to RNE in 2010, and made 24.5 cases of his inaugural Pinot Noir on the side. In 2011, he tripled his production and was promoted to Roger’s assistant winemaker. He made two different Pinots in 2012 and his very first Chardonnay in 2013. All from two of the most extraordinary vineyards in Santa Barbara County.
Santa Maria Valley lies mainly in northern Santa Barbara County, with a small portion of it overlapping southern San Luis Obispo County. It is close to the Pacific, and runs east-west, which means warmer air in the eastern end draws cool air off the ocean in the west, and brings it through the valley. This effect, combined with abundant sunshine, lengthens the growing season. The longer growing season leads to long hang time, which promotes both ripeness and optimal acidity levels in grape berries. As early as the 1970’s, Santa Maria Valley was recognized as being a superior source of wine grapes, certainly including Chardonnay and Syrah. But arguably the top variety here is Pinot Noir.
Originally a domain primarily of growers, including the Miller Family of the justifiably famous Bien Nacido Vineyard, this AVA is now home to over 30 wineries. Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir consistently offers full flavors of cherry, strawberry and raspberry, often accompanied by notes of spice, cola, vanilla and earth. They show impressive balance and elegance, as well as great versatility with food.