Winemaker Notes
The intoxicating aromatics of rose petals, native sage, blood orange rind, and black cherry are followed by notes of incense, Indian spices, and crushed rocks, paving the way for a bright and fresh initial response on the palate. The richness of the fruit is elegantly balanced with fine tannins that gives the wine its seamless texture.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2022 Pinot Noir Estate was vinified with 40% whole clusters and matured in used oak. The nose is bursting with cranberry, pomegranate, mushrooms, woodsmoke and underbrush. The medium-bodied palate has a core of earth and spice-laced fruit. It has a frame of chalky tannins and juicy acidity and a long, nuanced finish.
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Wine Enthusiast
Baked cherry and boysenberry aromas meet with dark earth, star anise and eucalyptus leaf aromas on the nose of this appellation cuvée. There's a rich body to the palate, but the ripe cherry flavor stays vibrant and energized, bolstered by green sage and lemon-peel elements.
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.