Winemaker Notes
2019 was a great year for Pinot Noir in the Santa Rita Hills, giving us a long, cool growing season, with no weather-related curveballs. The resulting wine is focused and concentrated, with classic Donnachadh flavors of tart black cherries and raspberries, with red berries, dried herbs and Earl Grey on the nose.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Opulent aromas of baked black cherry, star anise, cardamom and thyme make for a rich entry to the nose of this bottling. The palate, meanwhile, is framed with grippy, chalky tannins, giving a firm structure to the raspberry, cherry, dark herb and loamy earthy flavors. Drink through 2039.
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.