Winemaker Notes
Alluring red fruit and underbrush fill the nose. Soft delicate red fruit and fine tannin fill out the palate.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
From a vineyard that's actually west of the Sta. Rita Hills, this bottling offers fresh-pressed lavender, violets and rose petals against a black raspberry, white pepper and crushed thyme base. The palate is tightly focused on black peppercorn, though dark cherry and cranberry fruit emerge along with a compost of wild herbs, tar and eucalyptus.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2014 Pinot Noir Duvarita Vineyard is an outstanding, elegant effort that offers lots of autumn leaves, sweet cherries, spice and a touch of floral notes in its medium-bodied, charming personality. Coming all from sandy, loamy soil, mostly destemmed and aged 11 months in 12% new French oak, it should drink nicely for 4-5 years.
Pinot Noir is the second-most planted grape in Santa Barbara County, just behind Chardonnay. It thrives in cooler areas of the region, namely in the of the Sta. Rita Hills, which is part of Santa Barbara’s larger Santa Ynez Valley sub-appellation. Thought for decades to be too cool for viticulture, Sta. Rita Hills began to gain notoriety in the 1970’s, thanks to the pioneering work of Richard Sandford and Michael Benedict, among others.
Santa Barbara Pinot Noir dances across the palate with vivid red fruit and spice. Precision, bright acidity, elegance and fruit-driven silkiness make Santa Barbara Pinot delightfully enjoyable, whether on their own or with a variety of dishes.
GARSMPNDUV14_2014 Item# 158313