Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2017 Pinot Noir Santa Barbara County is a winner as well as a good value. Complex underbrush, spice, leafy herbs, and ripe red (and some darker) fruits emerge from the glass, and this elegant, medium-bodied beauty has silky tannins and a great finish. It's going to evolve for a solid decade.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Made with about 20% to 30% new oak and whole clusters, the 2017 Pinot Noir Santa Barbara County has a medium ruby-purple color and broody notes of cranberries, blackberries, forest floor, cured meats and underbrush. The palate is light to medium-bodied and very silky with perfumed fruits, great freshness and an understated finish.
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Wine & Spirits
A blend of fruit from three vineyards, including Zotovich and Sanford & Benedict, this is smoky, with umami notes coming up against tart blueberry flavors. It’s bright, tense and lean, with a carob-like grip of tannins. For duck.
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.