Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The appellation 2016 Pinot Noir Santa Barbara County comes from three single vineyards (Zotovich, La Encantada, and Sanford & Benedict) and spent 15 months in 25% new French oak. No slouch, it offers a beautiful bouquet of spiced black cherries, incense, spice box, and dried flowers. Rounded, medium-bodied, elegant, and polished, it's unquestionably a terrific wine and on the same level as the single vineyard releases.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Pale to medium ruby-purple, the 2016 Pinot Noir Santa Barbara County gives up aromas of cranberry sauce, wild blackberries, woodsmoke, burnt orange, dried leaves and tobacco. The palate is light to medium-bodied, silky and intense with a grainy frame and juicy freshness, finishing long and bright.
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Wine Enthusiast
Aromas of baked black cherry, cola, charred oak and savory smoke make for a very approachable nose on this appellation blend. The palate is full of prominent black cherry, loamy earth and dried sagebrush flavors.
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.