Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
Ripe, juicy and elegant with bright acidity and lovely Burgundian style; fresh cherry and vanilla, long and lush, racy and lifted.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Possessing a beautiful, high toned nose of violets, blood orange, toasted spice and caramelized cherries, the 2014 Pinot Noir la Encantada Vineyard hits the palate with a silky, polished, elegant, finesse-oriented texture that keeps you coming back to the glass. Fresh and lively aromatically, yet with more richness and depth coming through on the palate, it's an impressive wine to enjoy over the following 7-8 years.
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Wine Enthusiast
Bright raspberry and fresh-pressed bramble make for a nicely snappy nose that also conveys a touch of rust, graphite and earthiness. Tart cranberry and plum skin mesh into mineral tones of slate and pencil lead, all lifted by bay leaf and dried sage. It needs time to reach full potential.
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.