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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James Suckling
Plush yet taut with acidity, this brings together leathery and meaty aromas and flavors with tamarind paste, barbecue dry rub, brambleberries, blood oranges and crushed violets. Red tea and hibiscus run through the long finish, whose lengthy tannins bode well for extended aging in the cellar. Drink or hold.
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Vinous
The 2022 Pinot Noir John Sebastiano Vineyard is a powerful, brooding wine. Black cherry, plum, mocha, licorice and spice are all amplified in a Pinot that shows the more powerful side of the Sta. Rita Hills. A dollop (10-12%) of whole clusters adds aromatic dimension, but it is the wine's textural resonance that stands out most.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2022 Pinot Noir John Sebastiano Vineyard is dense, savory and impactful, opening with a lovely bouquet of warming, toasted spice aromas, black licorice, dried flowers and marine overtones. The palate melds a suave, velvety richness with a tensile, focused framework that carries through the spice-laden, mineral-driven 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.