Winemaker Notes
Rich magenta in color, lively and vivid aromatics of fresh cranberry, lychee fruit, cherry pie filling and orange oil spring from the glass. In the background, floral notes of honeysuckle and apple blossom weave alongside spicy, herbal impressions of dried black tea leaf, bramble and cardamom. The mouthfeel is polished initially, with juicy acidity and focused tannins on the finish that add gorgeous weight and complexity.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Starting with the 2018 Pinot Noir Estate Sta. Rita Hills, which comes from vines around the estate and saw 40% stems, it reveals a medium ruby hue as well as a great bouquet of ripe cherry and raspberry fruits intermixed with beautiful violet and floral notes. Showing the purity and elegance of the vintage, it's medium-bodied and has a silky texture, no hard edges, and a great finish. As usual, it's a screaming value.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Pale to medium ruby, the 2018 Pinot Noir Estate has very pretty aromas of charcuterie, rose petal, strawberry, tea leaves and earth. The palate is medium-bodied, silky and super juicy with earth and spice-tinged fruits and a long, perfumed finish.
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.