Thorne Rio Vista Vineyard Pinot Noir 2011
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The Rio Vista Ranch has been in the family for over fifty years of raising cattle and farming. Bobbie Thorne's father Jack Wiester acquired the property in the mid fifties and Bobbie and Graner Thorne were married in the area in 1958. Over the years the Thornes and their children, John and Karey, shared their time on the ranch with their city home in Palos Verdes. They rode horses, worked cattle, and earned their keep during the summers on the ranch. Over the years, the Rio Vista Ranch has continued to be a gathering point for the immediate and extended family.
Graner and Bobbie Thorne continue to share their time between the Southland and Sta. Rita Hills, though their active involvement with their vineyard and the new wine brand finds them on the Rio Vista property with increasing frequency.
The first two vintages of Thorne Pinot Noir were made by different winemakers. This 2008 vintage (and two subsequent as yet unreleased vintages) were made by Ken Brown.
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.