Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Woody and meaty aromas of dried cherry, charred beef and a hint of tobacco leaf show on the nose of this bottling. There is a deep core of roasted plum on the sip, where strong acidity delivers auxiliary flavors of incense and pine needle.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Pale to medium ruby, the 2017 Pinot Noir Memorious has a pretty nose of saddle leather, gunflint and crushed stone with a core of warm wild blackberries, black raspberries, red raspberry and spiced cranberry sauce with hints of charcuterie, dusty earth and dried herbs. Light to medium-bodied, it has a very nice interplay of spice, savory and restrained fruit in the mouth, with a frame of finely pixelated tannins and great freshness, finishing long.
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.