Winemaker Notes
Rich and powerful aromas of black fruit, and tea leaf forward from the glass. A deep, dense violet color suggests the intensity of the wine. Laden with black fruit, plum, and blueberry aromas and flavors, along with the trademark sauvage notes the vineyard is known for, the 2016 El Jabali Pinot Noir sings on the palate. Dense but supple tannins and elevated acidity suggest long term aging potential. Drink now for its lovely fruit, or cellar for 7 or more years to bring out the more savory side of the wine.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Aged 18 months in 50% new French oak, the 2016 Pinot Noir El Jabali has a Burgundian style in its ripe red and black fruits, spice box, earth, and forest floor aromas and flavors. These carry over to the palate as well, as this fruit-forward, rounded, impressively textured Pinot Noir has tons to love. It's already drinking nicely yet should easily keep for 7-8 years.
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Wine Spectator
Dense and rich-tasting, featuring concentrated notes of hoisin sauce to the cherry tart and cocoa powder flavors. Extravagantly spicy, with some savory accents on the finish. Drink now through 2022.
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.