Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2018 Pinot Noir Seabiscuit Zotovich Vineyard, from the Sta. Rita Hills, saw a similar élevage and was all destemmed and brought up in 69% new French oak. Ruby/plum-colored, with a spicy, woody style in its red and black fruits, it has lots of cedary spice, flowery incense, and violet notes, medium to full body, a pure, balanced character, and a great finish. It's still relatively tight and focused and will benefit from another year in bottle. It should drink nicely through 2030.
Rating: 95+
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Pinot Noir Seabiscuit Zotovich Vineyard has a pale to medium ruby-purple color and a nose of cranberries and raspberries, Earl Grey tea leaves, saline, rose petals and earth with hints of licorice. Medium-bodied, it's a stream of satiny sweet berry fruits, ultra juicy and spicy with a long, detailed 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.