Winemaker Notes
Vibrant garnet in color, Sandy’s is aromatically complex, with notes of rhubarb, raspberry bramble, oolong tea, pink pepper, dried basil, five spice, and ocean spray. The palate is supple and broad, with flavors of pomegranate, ripe cranberry, bright Bing cherry, candied tangerine peel and hints of rose potpourri. Held together by finely diffused tannins and a backbone of elegant acidity, the wine finishes with tremendous length and a wave of minerality.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This wine starts with aromas of pine needle and tarragon, with joyous bowlfuls of ripe yet snappy raspberry and cherry chiming in. Herbal elegance shines throughout the sip, giving eucalyptus-like depth to the juicy red-fruit flavors.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Medium ruby, the 2019 Pinot Noir Sandy's Block has pretty scents of blood orange and raspberry jam with wafts of dried flowers, tea leaves and Angostura bitters. The medium-bodied palate is soft and grainy, with juicy acidity that highlights loads of sweet berry fruits. It finishes long and layered.
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Jeb Dunnuck
I always love this cuvée and the 2019 Pinot Noir Sandy's is a standout, offering ample red and black fruits supported by lots of loamy soil, dried flowers, and spice. Incredibly complete, with medium body, a layered, elegant texture, ripe tannins, and fabulous charm. It will keep for a decade.
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Wine & Spirits
Slow to rouse, this ’19 is a study in cluster spice when first poured, showing scents of licorice, bay leaf, bergamot and tea—the fruit tucked in behind. A luminous core of red fruits emerges with a day of air, attractive strawberry and red cherry, sleek, refined, exotic and alluring—and in need of cellar time to emerge more fully.
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.