Winemaker Notes
Berries are destemmed into small, open top fermenters followed by a 3-5 day cold maceration. Fermentation is active for 10-14 days. Aged for 17 months in 36% new Francois Freres & Treuil barrels that are medium + toast with toasted heads. No fining or filtration.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Big and bold but balanced, this bottling slaps the nose with vibrant raspberry jam and baking spice aromas. The palate is fresh, fruity and hedonistic in style, offering fresh cherry and raspberry as well as mace and cardamom flavors. It's an attention-grabber.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
While less intense and complex than the Fe Ciega bottling, the 2021 Pinot Noir John Sebastiano Vineyard is lovely, opening with aromas of dark fruit, black tea, bergamot and dried sage. It is pure and spry on the palate before finishing on a darker note that retains a vibrant, crunchy energy. This is primed for early consumption and offers a beautiful take on the Foxen style as applied to the Sta.
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Wine Spectator
Gently mulled black cherry and blood orange fruit mingles nicely with a note of black tea, with a licorice echo in the background on the friendly finish.
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.