Winemaker Notes
Aromas of Bing Cherry, red current and dark chocolate are apparent with an intriguing scent of underbrush buried deeper in the wine. Flavors constantly evolve starting with rasberries and moving to dark cocoa. In the backgroound is french oak vanillin and balanced tannins.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This bottling, named for the vintner's son, is quite light in the glass, offering aromas of crisp pomegranate, cranberry, green peppercorn and eucalyptus. It's zesty on the palate with those green-herb and peppercorn notes that play against the tart pomegranate and blood-orange-rind flavors. This is built to last. Drink now through 2038.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2018 Pinot Noir Knox Alexander, which includes 35% stems, reveals a more medium ruby hue (I doubt that it's been filtered) as well as a complex, nuanced style in its spiced red and black fruits as well as notes of new leather, spice box, and loamy earth. Medium-bodied, nicely balanced, and textured, it's another unquestionably Burgundian-styled beauty from this team with lots to love.
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Wine & Spirits
This is leafy and savory when first poured, with scents of black cherry and sweet pipe tobacco. There’s plenty of oak structure in this stylish wine’s resinous bottom note, while the flavors unfurl with elegant grandeur, sturdy and elevated at once—like a ballroom with high ceilings.
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.