Winemaker Notes
The 2017 Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir is bold, punchy and super-expressive, with lovely aromatic nuance to play off the dark cherry and plum fruit. Classy and layered, the appellation Pinot is a wine of real character and breeding. Then again, that is not surprising given that vineyard sites are La Encantada, Sanford & Benedict, La Rinconada and Bentrock. The 2017 is a gorgeous wine from Etienne De Montille and Justin Willett.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
The 2017 Racines Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir was aged in 20% new French oak for 18 months, and around a third whole cluster fermentation was used. The savoury nose shows notes of candlewax, bubblegum and dried flowers. The palate is bright and clean, and finishes on a floral note with flavours of cherry blossoms and wet rose petals. A solid introduction to this collaborative label from Justin Willett and Etienne de Montille.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Pale to medium ruby, the 2017 Pinot Noir has lovely aromas of orange peel, cranberry, rhubarb and mixed berry preserves with dust, sagebrush, tobacco, tea leaf and floral notes. It has a light to medium weight with intense spiced berry flavors, dusty tannins and juicy freshness, finishing long and spicy. This was bottled a week before I tasted it but is showing well.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2017 Racines Sta. Rita Hills Cuvée Pinot Noir is an excellent example of the elegance of this AVA. TASTING NOTES: This wine is bright, zippy, and persistent. Pair its haunting and penetrating aromas and flavors of bright red fruit and attractive minerality with a plate of fresh salmon sashimi hand rolls. (Tasted: October 28, 2019, San Francisco, CA)
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.