Winemaker Notes
Los Alamos Vineyard dates back to the late 1960s and is where Chanin started back in 2007 when they purchased 1 ton of Chardonnay. Later they added Pinot Noir to the mix. The sandy soils, high elevation (900ft) of our blocks, and cool marine influence gives us great freshness, bright fruit and complicity.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Slightly lighter colored, the 2017 Pinot Noir Los Alamos Vineyard comes from sandy soils and was 80% destemmed and brought up in 10% new French oak. Beautiful rose petal and spring flower notes as well as hints of sweet strawberry and cherry all flow to an ethereal, medium-bodied, silky Pinot Noir that has ultra-fine tannins, perfect balance, and a beautiful finish. It's a fabulous effort that relies more on finesse, elegance, and purity than power and richness.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Pinot Noir Los Alamos Vineyard has a pale to medium ruby color and classic nose of woodsmoke, cola, cranberry, rhubarb, wild blackberries, oolong tea, dried strawberry and amaro. It's light to medium-bodied, with ripe, spicy fruits, a beautiful silky texture and supporting frame of juicy acidity with grainy tannins and a very long, spicy finish.
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Wine Enthusiast
Candied cherry, mint leaves, thyme-flecked earth and a hint of toasted wood show on the nose of this bottling. The palate is fresh and yet savory, showing roasted cranberry and raspberry alongside wild tarragon and sagebrush flavors.
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Wine & Spirits
This is youthful and intriguing, with notes of tanbark, pine frond and grainy strawberry, and an amaro-like tannic bitterness. Unresolved for now—as is typical of Chanin’s wines—this needs time in the cella
Pinot Noir is the second-most planted grape in Santa Barbara County, just behind Chardonnay. It thrives in cooler areas of the region, namely in the of the Sta. Rita Hills, which is part of Santa Barbara’s larger Santa Ynez Valley sub-appellation. Thought for decades to be too cool for viticulture, Sta. Rita Hills began to gain notoriety in the 1970’s, thanks to the pioneering work of Richard Sandford and Michael Benedict, among others.
Santa Barbara Pinot Noir dances across the palate with vivid red fruit and spice. Precision, bright acidity, elegance and fruit-driven silkiness make Santa Barbara Pinot delightfully enjoyable, whether on their own or with a variety of dishes.