Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
I continue to love this vineyard, which is located in the cooler Santa Maria Valley, just west of Bien Nacido, and the 2016 Pinot Noir Solomon Hills from Tolmach certainly delivers the goods in 2016. Black cherries, spring flowers, damp underbrush, and a kiss of reduction all flow to a focused, fresh, and tight Pinot Noir that has terrific balance, a focused texture, and a great finish. It needs 2-3 years of bottle age and will have over a decade of prime drinking.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: Tasting recently released wines can be tricky, and the 2016 Ojai Solomon Hills Vineyard Pinot Noir was indeed a challenge. Fortunately, after a bit of aeration, it opened up and revealed its charms. TASTING NOTES: This is a front-loaded wine, yet it has plenty on the back-burner. Its aromas and flavors of almost candied fruit, black fruit, and oak indicate that there is more than meets the eyes. Pair it with slow-braised meat dishes. (Tasted: July 11, 2019, San Francisco, CA)
Santa Maria Valley lies mainly in northern Santa Barbara County, with a small portion of it overlapping southern San Luis Obispo County. It is close to the Pacific, and runs east-west, which means warmer air in the eastern end draws cool air off the ocean in the west, and brings it through the valley. This effect, combined with abundant sunshine, lengthens the growing season. The longer growing season leads to long hang time, which promotes both ripeness and optimal acidity levels in grape berries. As early as the 1970’s, Santa Maria Valley was recognized as being a superior source of wine grapes, certainly including Chardonnay and Syrah. But arguably the top variety here is Pinot Noir.
Originally a domain primarily of growers, including the Miller Family of the justifiably famous Bien Nacido Vineyard, this AVA is now home to over 30 wineries. Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir consistently offers full flavors of cherry, strawberry and raspberry, often accompanied by notes of spice, cola, vanilla and earth. They show impressive balance and elegance, as well as great versatility with food.