Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Lots of strawberries, raspberry, rose hips, and violet notes emerge from the 2016 Pinot Noir Truly Rita, which comes from the Dierberg-Drum Canyon Vineyard in the Sta. Rita Hills. From a mix of Calera, Swan, and Dijon 115 clones, aged in 26% new French oak, it’s medium-bodied, with an elegant, focused texture, ripe tannin, and some classic Sta. Rita Hills minerality and salinity. It’s showing nicely today yet should cruise for 10-12 years.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Aged 17 months in 26% new French oak and bottled unfined and unfiltered, the medium ruby-purple colored 2016 Pinot Noir Truly Rita comes sashaying out of the glass with seriously spicy notions of cinnamon stick, cloves, anise and black pepper with a core of red currant jelly, kirsch and raspberry preserves plus a waft of wild thyme. Medium-bodied, the palate has lovely restraint with elegant red fruit layers framed by soft tannins and seamless freshness, finishing on a mineral note.
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.