Winemaker Notes
Aromatics of juicy cherry cola, raspberry sorbet, and faint notes of black pepper awaken your senses. The aromas are accented by flavors of red cranberry, soft oak and vanilla bean with angular tannin and a bright acidity. Notes of toasted graham cracker, sweet cigar, and black tea come through on the finish.
Pair this wine with rare fillet steak and carpaccio.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Cranberry, hibiscus and rosewater converge on the soft, plush nose of this bottling, which also shows hints of star anise and baked goods. It's a light and playful wine on the sip, where juicy raspberries meet with gravelly minerality. This is light, fresh and full of long, simmering acidity.
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.