Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Like the 2011, the 2012 Pinot Noir Clos Pepe is loaded with spice and potpourri-like nuances that flow to a gorgeously rich, seamless palate that has sweet tannin and impressive length. It, too, should be a great 2012 and have a decade of longevity. Drink 2015-2022.
Range: 92-94 -
Wine Spectator
Reverberates with firm, dense, fleshy flavors, built around blueberry, blackberry, anise, violet and black licorice notes. Tight tannins give the flavors traction and a persistent finish. Drink now through 2023.
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.