Winemaker Notes
We craft our Gainey Vineyard Pinot Noir exclusively from grapes grown at our two vineyards in the Sta. Rita Hills appellation located at the western edge of the Santa Ynez Valley – Evan’s Ranch & Rancho Esperanza. These cool, marine-influenced sites, just 10 miles from the Pacific Ocean, are ideal for the cultivation of world-class Pinot Noir. Our latest vintage of this delightful wine displays a vivid ruby-red hue and bright, fragrant, fruit-forward aromas of black cherry, red raspberry, blackberry and pomegranate, complemented by a whiff of rose hips tea. On the palate, the wine delivers intense, juicy, strawberry, cherry, plum and blackberry flavors that take on a zesty, tea-leaf spice tone en route to a long, fruitful, mineral-tinged finish. Delicious now with foods like grilled salmon, rotisserie chicken, roast duck, and lamb, this vibrant, varietally expressive Pinot Noir will age gracefully in bottle for the next 2-3 years.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This is a stellar wine, especially considering it is simply the family's appellation blend. Aromas of crisp black raspberry, thyme, sagebrush and mint provide tremendous depth on the nose. The palate is lively, elegant and very smooth, showing white pepper, cedar and more black-raspberry flavors.
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.