Winemaker Notes
As always, the John Sebastiano Pinot Noir shows great weight and concentration. It also has a unique, slightly herbal edge. Good acidity and some tannins lead one to think this wine should age well, but it tastes great right now, so don’t hesitate to open a bottle.
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
In the warmer part of the Sta. Rita Hills on the eastern edge of the appellation, this steep-sloped vineyard faces winds that blow in from the Pacific. The results are small clusters, small berries, and, for 2016, an early harvest. With aromas of mushroom and a touch of animale, this savory yet quite opulent red shows rich flavors of boysenberry, rose petal, and iron. Juicy, cinnamon-tinged cherries persist through the finish.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2016 Pinot Noir John Sebastiano Vineyard comes from a great site on the eastern end of the Sta. Rita Hills and was completely destemmed. Black raspberries, smoked earth, graphite, and ample minerality give way to a fresh, focused, nicely concentrated Sta. Rita Hills effort that has good acidity, and spice, pepper, mineral, fresh and focused, with plenty of focus and cut. It too has a decade of longevity.
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Wine Enthusiast
From a steep vineyard near the eastern edge of the appellation, this effort by Santa Rosa-based Adam Lee offers composting rose petals, bright red cherry and a hint of game on the nose. There's a gamy kick to the palate as well, giving depth to the cherry and dried ginger flavors.
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Wine Spectator
This offers laserlike focus to the concentrated red currant, cherry and plum flavors that offer plenty of minerality. Dark chocolate notes emerge on the spicy and creamy finish. Drink now through 2022.
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.