Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A big, rich effort, the 2012 Pinot Noir Hapgood (which lies close to Machado Vineyard) offers up loads of ripe red fruits, toasted spice, licorice and ground herbs to go with a medium to full-bodied, textured and expansive feel on the palate. It doesn’t skimp on texture and has plenty of sweet, velvety tannin that come through on the finish. While it’s hard to resist now, it will evolve nicely over the coming 5-7 years.
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Wine Spectator
Aromas of fresh raspberry, blueberry and boysenberry are intense, snappy and vibrant, with zesty acidity, firm tannins and a stemmy edge that keeps the flavors on the palate. 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.