Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2015 Pinot Noir La Côte is fabulous, and probably the greatest offering Domaine de la Côte has released to date—although the 2016 rendition will give it a run for its money in due course. The wine soars from the glass with a bouquet of kaleidoscopic complexity featuring notes of raspberries, red cherries, potpourri, rose hip and sweet spices. On the palate, the La Côte is medium-bodied and expansive, framed by incredibly fine-grained tannins and boasting stunning inner-mouth perfume. The concentration and depth that have been packed into this decidedly elegant, even delicate wine are incredible. This is compelling testimony to what can be achieved in an extreme mesoclimate if one's willing to accept the tiny yields that are essential to achieving full phenolic maturity.
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.