Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Darker currants, cherries, black tea, and smoky, scorched earth notes define the 2022 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills Cuvée, which was fermented with 50% whole clusters and aged 17 months in 15% new French oak. Medium-bodied and focused on the palate, it shows a leaner style but with terrific balance and length, and its tannins and acidity are nicely integrated.
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Wine Spectator
Brisk-edged and energetic, with tightly focused notes of red currant and bitter cherry coulis laced with savory, rose hip and red tea accents. The lengthy finish holds its tension nicely. Drink now through 2032. 1,178 cases made.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
An overview of the Western Sta. Rita Hills composed of La Rinconada, Wenzlau, Sanford & Benedict and Rancho La Viña, the 2022 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills Cuvée leads with a pretty bouquet of red and blue fruits, orange rinds and fresh flowers. The palate is soft and supple, gently supported by a streak of salinity that carries the nuanced, elegantly creamy finish.
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Vinous
The 2022 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills Cuvée is a very pretty, open-knit offering from Racines. Crushed leaves, spice, tobacco, cedar and incense meld into a core of red-toned fruit. This savory, delicate Pinot has plenty to offer. Time in the glass is essential in softening whole cluster notes and allowing the fruit to shine. It's all charm here.
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.