Tantara La Colline Vineyard Pinot Noir 2006
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One of the newest wineries in Santa Barbara County, Tantara is dedicated to producing the very finest Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Our wine is vineyard designated from such growers as Bien Nacido, Talley, Pisoni and Laetitia.
In 1999 we planted ten acres of Pinot Noir and two acres of Syrah, which will bring our own vineyard holding to about fifteen acres when these new plantings come on-line in 2003. This fruit will then make up our estate bottling.
Also, we are happy to announce that we are in our new home. Thanks to the faith and support of Bien Nacido Vineyard, we are the proud inhabitants of our renovated barn, located on the beautiful Bien Nacido Vineyard. We are very fortunate to have secured this location.
Because of our commitment to detail and the finite amount of fruit that meets our standards, total production will be limited.
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.”
One of the coolest growing areas in California, the Arroyo Grande Valley runs from the southwest to the northeast, just a few miles from the Pacific Ocean and is part of the Central Coast AVA. Situated so that cold Pacific Ocean air and fog is allowed to filter into the valley, Arroyo Grande also has an incredibly long growing season. Bud break occurs in February in most years with flowering in May and harvest in late September; the area is classified as cool Mediterranean.
These weather factors combined with the soil types—continental and marine rocks, greywacke, limestone, shale and volcanic—create wines with great concentration and fresh acidity. The cooler end of the valley is perfect for Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and is a good producer of sparkling wines. The warmer, more inland part of the valley is home to some of California’s oldest Zinfandel vines.