Winemaker Notes
On the nose, gummy strawberry candy, orange pekoe tea, marmalade, cherry, mint and sage, nutmeg, fresh violet, and clay. Very perfumed and clean. On the palate, ripe cherry with cola and cream. Starts rich and tightens up into fine tannins with fresh, lively acidity. Long building finish. Pure, the best of what Santa Maria promises…this delivers.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This gives an abundance of delicious, focused black cherry flavors on a relatively light body. It offers great balance, charm and freshness, with moderate tannins and good acidity lifting concentrated cherry, sour cherry, black tea, purple flower and star anise notes galore.
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Wine Enthusiast
This is a fantastic appellation cuvée, blending grapes from Rancho Real, Wild King, and Julia's vineyards into a showcase of ripe, fresh, clean cherry aromas complemented by crushed rock and soil aspects. The palate is deliciously jammy with cherry flavors that are enhanced by star anise and cardamom, set against an edgy texture.
Editors' Choice
Santa Maria Valley lies mainly in northern Santa Barbara County, with a small portion of it overlapping southern San Luis Obispo County. It is close to the Pacific, and runs east-west, which means warmer air in the eastern end draws cool air off the ocean in the west, and brings it through the valley. This effect, combined with abundant sunshine, lengthens the growing season. The longer growing season leads to long hang time, which promotes both ripeness and optimal acidity levels in grape berries. As early as the 1970’s, Santa Maria Valley was recognized as being a superior source of wine grapes, certainly including Chardonnay and Syrah. But arguably the top variety here is Pinot Noir.
Originally a domain primarily of growers, including the Miller Family of the justifiably famous Bien Nacido Vineyard, this AVA is now home to over 30 wineries. Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir consistently offers full flavors of cherry, strawberry and raspberry, often accompanied by notes of spice, cola, vanilla and earth. They show impressive balance and elegance, as well as great versatility with food.