Winemaker Notes
The 2022 vintage plays up the exuberant red and black fruit with a great mid-palate concentration, juiciness and complexity, and long rich finish.
It would be great with roast chicken, hearty root vegetables, and of course charcoal grilled steaks. Approachable, but the wine will age over the medium term on its balance and concentration.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2022 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills admirably accomplishes its mission of summarizing both the Dragonette style and the Sta. Rita Hills. A mixture of red and black fruits, sea spray and dried flowers introduce a silky-meets-plush palate that finishes with gently swelling tannins and an additional hit of saline energy.
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Wine Spectator
This mixes in gently mulled black cherry and raspberry fruit, along with touches of anise, warm earth and red tea. Light mineral and shiso leaf hints underscore the gentle finish. Drink now through 2029. 800 cases made.
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Wine Enthusiast
Cranberry and pomegranate aromas meet with rose petals, lightly dank herbs and a touch of toasty oak on the nose of this wine. The woodspice is more prominent on the sip, where nutmeg and vanilla flavors enliven the baked cherry core.
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.