Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2023 Pinot Noir (Sta. Rita Hills) is a total delight. Fresh, aromatic and very pretty, the 2023 is all class. Freshly cut flowers, red-toned fruit, orange peel, spice, mint and white pepper soar out of the glass. This deceptively medium-bodied Pinot is such a charmer. A dollop of stems (10%) adds perfume without dominating the wine's balance. This is an impressive showing for a wine that was bottled a month before this tasting.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Framboise, sassafras, rose, and spicy, herbal nuances all emerge from the 2023 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills, which is 100% Pinot Noir with 5% whole cluster fermentation, aged 10 months in roughly 8% new French oak. Medium-bodied, fresh, and focused, it offers integrated acidity in a pure, polished style that's very pretty and finesse-driven. It's ready to go and will keep for 4-6 years. Drink 2025-2031.
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.