Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2023 Pinot Noir Bloom's Field is dark-fruited and floral on the nose, leading to a multidimensional palate that combines textural depth and breadth with stunning saturation and focus. The palate is vibrant and juicy yet tempered by a dark undercurrent of intense tannic structure and considerable length on the finish. It has developed a slightly more lush texture since my previous tasting before bottling, a generosity balanced by vivid streaks of salinity rendered in high fidelity. There is a cascading and finessed nature to the finish here that I suspect will continue to blossom well into its second decade in the cellar. Rating: 95+
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Vinous
The 2023 Pinot Noir Bloom's Field is a gorgeous, multidimensional wine that reflects the excellence of this site. Vibrant dark berry fruit, underbrush and saline, marine-inflected nuances meld together effortlessly. An inky, iodine/oyster shell note hangs around on the close, but what impresses most in 2023 is the persistence of the juicy, lifted acidity. This is an excellent edition of Bloom's.
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Wine Spectator
Mulberry and raspberry fruit leads the way in this red, with flashes of iris and hibiscus peeking in. There's a rapier of fresh acidity for spine while bay leaf, savory and wet slate notes add underlying tension throughout. The lovely pinpoint finish has a steady persistence. Best from 2026 through 2038.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
A superior source of California Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills is the coolest, westernmost sub-region of the larger Santa Ynez Valley appellation within Santa Barbara County. This relatively new AVA is unquestionably one to keep an eye on.
The climate of Sta. Rita Hills is a natural match for Chardonnay and Pinot noir, thanks to the crisp ocean breezes and well-drained, limestone-rich calcareous soil. Here, grapes ripen just enough, while retaining brisk acidity and harmonious balance.