Winemaker Notes
Brilliant ruby red in color, dense and concentrated layers of cranberry compote, grilled red beets, black peppercorns and rhubarb are immediately noticeable. With time, softer toned nuances of sandalwood, holiday spices, moist earth and dried black tea leaves also come forward. There is tremendous depth on the palate, with excellent grip and weight on the mid-palate that leads to a full, lengthy finish.
Professional Ratings
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The Somm Journal
Earthier on the nose than on the palate, this red hails from an 8-acre parcel on a north-south orientation; planted on sandy loam, the vines run east to west, allowing the fruit to ripen evenly. It’s a stunning Pinot Noir that experienced 30 days of total skin and stem contact and aged for 18 months in 15- to 20-year old French oak barrels. Distinct flavors of cinnamon, spiced cedar, and brandy soaked cherry are threaded with white pepper and tart cranberry.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2018 Pinot Noir Estate Anna's was two-thirds destemmed and has a brighter, crisp feel in its raspberry and wild strawberry fruits as well as spicy, herbal notes. Medium-bodied, fresh, and focused on the palate, with present acidity and tannins, it's going to benefit from a year or two of bottle age and keep for over a decade as well. It's a beautiful wine.
Rating: 94+
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Wine Enthusiast
Candied Bing cherry aromas meet with savory stemmy aromas of damp underbrush, forest floor and cannabis-like funk. The palate is complex with blistered cherry tomato, slivered strawberry, minty tarragon and bay leaf flavors.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Made with about 70% whole cluster, the 2018 Pinot Noir Anna's Block has a medium ruby color and delicate perfume of red and black berries with notes of dried flowers, nori and citrus peel. The palate has a singular contrast of broody character and bright, lifted freshness, finely grained and with a long, citrusy finish.
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Wine & Spirits
From an eight-acre parcel planted on a south-facing slope to multiple pinot clones in 2001, this balances its concentrated flavors with driving acidity. It feels tart and lean, with notes of anise and cranberries that would complement a lean cut of beef.
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.