Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2018 Pinot Noir Truly Rita comes all from the Dierberg-Drum Canyon Vineyard and was aged in just 14% new French oak. Its deeper ruby hue is followed by a richer, medium to full-bodied, stunning Pinot Noir that offers ample black raspberry and redcurrants fruit as well as forest floor, black tea, sappy flowers, and a kiss of salty, mineral-like nuances on the palate. I love this, and it's balanced, brings ample texture, and has a good spine of acidity as well as a great finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Pinot Noir Truly Rita was aged for 17 months in French oak barrels, 14% new. Pale to medium ruby-purple colored, it rolls out of the glass with upfront blackberries, black raspberries and red currants notes with hints of violets, dark chocolate, bay leaves and tilled soil. Medium to full-bodied with tons of muscular, taut black berry layers framed by a lively backbone and grainy tannins, it finishes long and savory. 168 cases were made.
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.