Winemaker Notes
Julia’s Vineyard is home to Santa Barbara’s oldest producing Pinot Noir vines planted in the 1970s. The fruit for this wine was selected from two low vigor, “old vine” rows planted to the Pommard clone 4. During fermentation, a combination of punchdowns and pump-overs is used to circulate the skins and juice, ensuring maximum extraction. The core is infused with red fruit, cranberries, and spice. The finish is long, smoky and elegant.
Blend: 100% Pinot Noir
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2015 Pinot Noir Julia's Vineyard comes from a site in the Santa Maria Valley and spent 16 months in 45% new French oak. It’s a slightly deeper, more mineral-driven effort that has classic notes of blackberries, crushed rocks, gunpowder, and spice. It's deep, rich, and concentrated, yet also elegant and seamless, and has terrific purity.
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Wine Enthusiast
The nose on this bottling from a vineyard first planted in 1970 starts with woody sagebrush, forest floor, mushroom and moss aromas, but leads into ripe cranberry and rose petals, with the slightest hint of game. Bay leaf, marjoram and tangy cranberry touches complete the palate.
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Wine Spectator
Broad and plush, with concentrated notes of cardamom to the dried cherry and berry flavors. Elegantly framed, with rich spiciness and minerality that lingers on the polished finish. Drink now through 2022.
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.