Sanford La Rinconada Vineyard Pinot Noir 2015
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Jeb
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Robert
Parker
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Winemaker Notes
This 2015 bottling is deep red in color and is bursting with earthy cherry, black raspberry and anise aromas. The silky palate delivers flavors of juicy red fruits framed nicely by bright acidity and a lingering finish. The wine was allowed to age in French Oak barrels (35% new) for 14 months where it gained concentration and a luxurious velvety texture. While enjoyable now, this wine has the balance and concentration to age beautifully for the next 10 to 12 years.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
From a vineyard planted in 1997, this bottling offers aromas of tart pomegranate, wild rose, crushed carnations and wild sage on the nose. The palate is bright yet hearty and earthy, with flavors of herb, all spice, cranberry and pomegranate.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2015 Pinot Noir La Rinconada has a slightly more perfumed, elegant style. Red and black raspberries, flowers, rose petals, and spicy notes all flow to a medium-bodied, ethereally textured Pinot Noir that has nicely integrated acidity and moderate tannins. There's more mid-palate depth in the Sanford & Benedict release, yet this shines for its complex, lively style. Drink it over the coming decade.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The pale to medium ruby colored 2015 Pinot Noir La Rinconada Vineyard aged in 35% new French oak for 14 months. It opens on the nose to dust, loamy soil, oolong tea leaves, pipe tobacco, black berries and blackcurrants with notes of redcurrant, licorice and potpourri. Medium-bodied, it offers intense, earthy fruits with firm, grainy tannins and seamlessly knit freshness, finishing long. 1,302 cases produced.
Other Vintages
2017-
Jeb
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Robert
Parker
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Robert
Parker
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Wine
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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.