Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Pale ruby, the 2019 Pinot Noir Spear Vineyards is super elegant this vintage. It features bright cranberries and blackberries on the nose with nuances of dark spices, pipe tobacco, bitters and dried flowers. The light-bodied palate is detailed and spicy, with a gently chalky texture, rounded freshness and persistent perfume.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The translucent, light ruby-hued 2019 Pinot Noir Spear Vineyards comes from a great site on the northern side of the appellation and was mostly destemmed and brought up 15% new French oak. Mulled red berry fruits, toasted spice, dried orange peel, and incense notes are just some of the nuances here, and it's medium bodied and all about elegance and finesse on the palate. It has plenty of classic Sta. Rita Hills salinity and subtle marine-like notes, terrific balance, and the class to keep for at least 7-8 years.
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.