Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Adam's base appellation bottlings are superb values in 2013 and the 2013 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills is a blend of John Sebastiano, Clos Pepe and Cargasacchi vineyards. It offers tons of pretty, perfumed fruits, black cherries, violets and spice to go with a supple, fruit-forward, yet elegant style on the palate. It's already drinking beautifully, but it will continue to impress for at least another 4-5 years.
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Wine Enthusiast
One of Adam Lee's more affordable appellation blends, this delivers a lot of bang for the buck, with aromas of extracted strawberry, rich plum, sandalwood and a slate backbone. Soft red fruit starts the palate, then sharpens into cranberry, with lots of herbal spice and acidic sizzle throughout.
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Wine Spectator
Marked by an elegant array of spicy raspberry, blueberry, anise and fine-grained, earth-laced tannins. Most impressive on the finish, where the tannins sustain the flavors.
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.