Winemaker Notes
Dark magenta in color, with rich and savory aromatics of beef tartare, teriyaki, cocoa powder, and dried nori are immediately apparent. With time, lifted nuances of white peppercorns, ginger, fennel and salt water taffy emerge. The palate presence is juicy and concentrated, with mouthwatering ripe tannins and excellent purity along with a vibrant streak of acidity that anchors the wine’s voluptuous and elongated finish.
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
The sand at Donna’s Block is 20 feet deep, well drained and lacking much in terms of nutrients for the vines. Chad Melville ferments the grapes from those vines entirely as whole clusters, then ages the wine for a year in neutral French oak. The result is a wine with intensity and length of flavor, rather than any excess weight. It smells coastal, like beach roses in a sand dune, and it feels as curvaceous as a dune, salty, spicy, floral and shaped by the wind. The flavors are delicious and remarkably long.
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
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.