Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
From a sandy site just east of the Sta. Rita Hills border, this gives off a nose of pine needles, red plums and black cherries. Its texture is forward and focused right down the center of the palate, ending with a saline, energetic finish of blueberry and apple skin. 15% whole cluster fermentation, 18 months in 10% new barrique.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2018 Pinot Noir Shock Family comes all from Santa Barbara County and was 90% destemmed and brought up in 15% new French. This intense, perfumed beauty has loads of Bing cherry, mulberry, and sassafras notes, medium-bodied richness, some firm, grippy tannins, and a good finish. Give bottles a year or three and enjoy through 2030.
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.
IPOPI11398_2018 Item# 657605