Winemaker Notes
This wine reveals expressive notes of candied violets, raspberry preserves, and clove, layered with red plum, sandalwood, cherry, and a hint of sassafras. Its depth and complexity make it an excellent pairing for Korean BBQ pork belly, duck breast, venison, or game birds.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2023 Pinot Noir SBC is open for business today. It's absolutely oozing with Sta. Rita Hills character. Spiced florals, leather, black pepper and rich raspberry fruit unfurl generously in the glass, maintaining a cool-toned character and notable precision. A bit of stems (10%) adds lift and energy throughout. You can really sink your teeth into this fleshy, textured Pinot.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Aged 10 months in 15% new French oak, the 2023 Pinot Noir SBC offers piercing aromas of raspberries, spring flowers, mint, and baking spices. It's medium-bodied, supple, and elegant on the palate, with a vibrant, focused mouthfeel, integrated acidity, and soft tannins. This pretty Pinot Noir is perfect for drinking.
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.