Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2019 Pinot Noir Victor Francis Peake Ranch Vineyard is classic Sta. Rita Hills with its savory, salty, spicy, and even meaty aromas and flavors, which turn more floral and exotic with time in the glass. It shows some olive and brine as well, yet its core of ripe red and black fruits is always present, and it's textured, medium to full-bodied, flawlessly balanced, and lengthy on the palate.
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James Suckling
The aromas of roses and ripe strawberries with so much perfume. Medium-bodied with firm, fine tannins that spread across the palate and integrate nicely. Fresh, vivid and tight. This will age beautifully.
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.