Winemaker Notes
Medium Ruby color, with a transparent rim; clear and bright. Ripe, full, and very fragrant, with aromas of strawberry-rhubarb, rose hips, pie crust, vanilla bean. Medium bodied in the mouth, with a pleasant, easy-going weight and texture. Very supple, and very tasty now, showing a flavorful smorgasbord of mixed red fruits, caramel, hibiscus, and a slightly minty note. The finish is kept lively with a refreshing snap of blood orange.
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2017 Bonaccorsi Family Pinot Noir is pleasing and satiny on the palate. TASTING NOTES: This wine is fresh and bright in its aromas and flavors of pure red fruits. Pair it with a lightly grilled salmon steak. (Tasted: September 5, 2020, San Francisco, CA)
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.