Winemaker Notes
The 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 in 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.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Always a reliable bottling, this appellation blend is even more triumphant in a great vintage. Fresh strawberry and plum aromas meet with earthy herbs on the zesty, fresh nose. The palate holds a tense line that rises into the finish, giving structure to the more opulent red fruit, purple flower, cardamom and lingering peppercorn flavors.
Editors' Choice -
Wine & Spirits
There’s a pleasing red-fruited clarity to this wine, framed by spicy sumptuous oak. The flavors are deep black cherry, caramel and cinnamon, with a modest sour-cherry tartness that playfully intersects with the dark fruit. Decant it for smoked chicken.
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.