Winemaker Notes
Solomon Hills Pinot is always distinctive and singular in its ability to harness the Coastal influence of Santa Maria Valley. Expressive and aromatic, this Pinot Noir offers notes of tarragon, sage, potpourri, blueberries, and cherries. A spicy, balanced entry gives way to a palate with great weight and viscosity. Soft yet present tannins carry through, finishing with a long, spicy flourish. This is a wine that will age effortlessly for ten years.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A fascinating mix of juniper and sage lends complicated, layered freshness to the nose, which sets up a palate of concentration and verve, with tarragon threaded through flavors of cherries, huckleberries, blood oranges and a dusting of cinnamon.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2023 Pinot Noir is a standout among these releases from Solomon Hills and Bien Nacido, offering the darkest, most brooding and structural Pinot Noir between the two properties. A meaty, savory and oceanic bouquet develops lifted floral notes accompanied by bergamot and dried herbs, followed by a silken, tensile palate of weightless depth and elegant density. It concludes with a chewy yet refined finish that continuously gains volume and length with time in the glass.
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Vinous
The 2023 Pinot Noir Estate Solomon Hills Vineyard is a powerfully savory expression, marked by herbaceous intensity and textural resonance that speak clearly of the Santa Maria Valley. Broad, intense fruit weaves together with leather, lavender, sage, rosemary, tobacco and white pepper, all coursing through a mineral-driven frame. Juicy and balanced from start to finish, it's a wine of depth, intensity and character.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2023 Pinot Noir Solomon Hills Vineyard is more reductive, with some serious matchstick character intermixed with pure black raspberry, white pepper, sappy green herbs, and gunflint-like aromas and flavors. Medium-bodied, pure, balanced, and layered, it has a focused, polished mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and a gorgeous finish. Made with 10% whole clusters and aged 16 months in 40% new French oak. Rating: 94+
The Solomon Hills Vineyard was planted by the Miller Family in the late 1990's. Known for pinot noir and chardonnay, Solomon Hills found its tenor early on in its relatively young life among a broad range of talented winemakers who found its vibrant, youthful flavor profile exhilarating, and, at times, profound.
The soils of Solomon Hills Vineyards are composed primarily of ocean derived sandy loams. Because it is the western most vineyard in the Santa Maria Valley appellation, it is the coolest of all vineyards in this growing region. With the Pacific coastline only miles away, a constant maritime influence results in wines of precise acidity, bright fruit and an inherent elegance.
The Solomon Hills Vineyards takes its title from neighboring hills named for Solomon Pico, a celebrated bandit who in the 1850's traveled frequently along the stretch of El Camino Real that is known today as Santa Maria Valley.
Santa Maria Valley lies mainly in northern Santa Barbara County, with a small portion of it overlapping southern San Luis Obispo County. It is close to the Pacific, and runs east-west, which means warmer air in the eastern end draws cool air off the ocean in the west, and brings it through the valley. This effect, combined with abundant sunshine, lengthens the growing season. The longer growing season leads to long hang time, which promotes both ripeness and optimal acidity levels in grape berries. As early as the 1970’s, Santa Maria Valley was recognized as being a superior source of wine grapes, certainly including Chardonnay and Syrah. But arguably the top variety here is Pinot Noir.
Originally a domain primarily of growers, including the Miller Family of the justifiably famous Bien Nacido Vineyard, this AVA is now home to over 30 wineries. Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir consistently offers full flavors of cherry, strawberry and raspberry, often accompanied by notes of spice, cola, vanilla and earth. They show impressive balance and elegance, as well as great versatility with food.