Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Sourced from growers in the Sta. Rita Hills (John Sebastiano Vineyard, Sea Smoke Vineyard and Radian Vineyard), this new wine from David Phinney (creator of the famous/infamous brand, The Prisoner) was aged for nine months in oak barrels, 60% new. Pale to medium ruby-purple colored, the 2017 Pinot Noir sashays out of the glass with graceful kirsch, raspberry preserves and redcurrant jelly notes plus hints of oolong tea, violets and cinnamon stick. Medium-bodied, the palate is delicately played with bright red berries and spicy accents plus a satiny texture, finishing with lovely poise.
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Wine Spectator
Big and rich, with seductive Asian spice accents to the ripe dark cherry, plum and currant flavors. Creamy midpalate, featuring a finish that oozes with chocolate brioche details. Drink now through 2025.
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.