Winemaker Notes
This Pinot Noir presents a dark ruby red hue with an opaque center, offering deep, layered aromas reminiscent of black cherry, plum, and Earl Grey tea. Rich and mouth-filling on the palate, it delivers concentrated flavors of black cherry, black raspberry, cracked peppercorn, and spice, balanced by a refreshing cranberry-raspberry acidity that carries through the finish.
Blend: 100% Pinot Noir
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Destemmed and aged all in neutral barrels, the 2016 Pinot Noir Sebastiano comes from a windy site located on the eastern end of the Sta. Rita Hills. It's a more reserved, closed wine now yet offers plenty of hefty dark fruits, earth, and underbrush aromas as well as a medium to full-bodied, textured style on the palate. Some coaxing gets you more fruit and underbrush, but it's best left in the cellar for another 2-3 years.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The pale garnet colored 2016 Pinot Noir John Sebastiano Vineyard offers aromas of lilac and violet to begin, segueing to notes of tree bark, amaro, red berries, blueberries and perfumed earth—this has lots of delicate layers. It's nuanced but concentrated in the mouth, with a light to medium weight, fine-grained tannins and great freshness, finishing long and layered.
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.