Winemaker Notes
Each year, Sea Smoke's goal for Southing is to create the ideal marriage of complexity and elegance. The ever-changing nose of the Southing exhibits fresh currant, slight strawberry and rose aromas with notes of dried fruit, fennel, clove and nutmeg. The fine tannins and minerality are enhanced by the estate vineyard's characteristic cool climate acidity.
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
Even at this early stage of evolution, it’s giving and alluring, with aromas and flavors of forest berries, cherries, rose hips and oak duff. The taut, energetic, slightly saline palate shows woodsy spices and minerality, harmony and length. Impressive. This has a long life ahead.
-
Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
One of the most compelling Pinot Noirs in the marketplace, The enchanting 2023 Sea Smoke Southing is beautifully scented with delicate forest tones reminiscent of a light rainfall, while the palate delivers a well-defined, laser-focused impression of delicate red fruits that glide effortlessly to a persistent and lively finish; enjoy its elegance with duck à l’orange, the classic French preparation whose citrus-inflected richness underscores the wine’s purity and lift. (Tasted: November 28, 2025, 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.