Winemaker Notes
Aromas of raspberry preserve, spice cake, smoky minerals and floral pastille Silky, round palate, With a zesty mirierality and red fruit liqueur flavors Richness blended With focused vivacity, floral character and smooth tannins.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Another savory, peppery effort, the 2012 Pinot Noir Rancho la Vina Vineyard has a solid core of black raspberry and cassis-scented fruit to go with plenty of sous bois, wild herbs and tapenade on the nose. Medium-bodied, beautifully balanced and graceful on the palate, it has polished tannin, nicely integrated acidity and a great finish. Like the Las Hermanas, it has plenty of stem influence, yet has everything in the right proportions, lots of charm, and is a joy to drink. Fermented with 70% stems and aged 20 months in 30% new French oak, drink it anytime over the coming 5-7 years.
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.