Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
There's an impressive array of aromas on the nose of this bottling, starting with light red cherry and pomegranate before intensifying into boysenberry jam with loads of star anise and dried ginger along the way. The mouthfeel is full, carrying boysenberry-jam flavors laced with sandalwood, myrrh and anise. PRICE
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Jeb Dunnuck
Slightly darker colored, the 2016 Pinot Noir John Sebastiano Vineyard (17 months in 40% new French oak) is a much bigger, richer Pinot Noir that offers lots of black cherry and blackberry fruits intermixed with spice, forest floor, and a distinct salty minerality. It too is juicy and racy on the palate, with high yet integrated acidity. It's a beautiful wine, yet like the Solomon Hills releases, it needs 2-3 years of bottle age.
Rating: 92+ -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The pale to medium ruby colored 2016 Pinot Noir John Sebastiano Vineyard opens with notes of peppercorn, woodsmoke, autumn leaves and cola with black cherries, blueberries and blackberries plus floral hints. Medium-bodied, it's concentrated in the mouth with grainy tannins to support and juicy acidity, finishing savory and spicy.
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.