Winemaker Notes
This is one of three small picks off of the John Sebastiano vineyard in Sta. Rita Hills. It represents the best of the best. Grown on steep slopes 800 feet above sea level, this wine has extreme cut and verve. It is the first of Tatomer's Grüner Veltliners to receive extended aging in the winery and is well worth the wait. A wine for sommeliers and foodies alike.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
Once again in 2023, Graham Tatomer's Grüner Veltliner John Sebastiano is an undeniable rockstar, balancing impressive concentration and intensity with gorgeously smooth contours and supreme inner harmony. The 2023 explodes from the off with an array of deeply pitched spice tones, the essence of perfectly ripe summer peach, and perfumed floral top notes, while a palpable grip holds it all together with just enough tension. Does Grüner Veltliner in the United States get better than this? I don't think so. A marvel.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Composed around the most phenolic lots of the site aged in acacia cask, the 2023 Gruner Veltliner John Sebastiano Vineyard is again one of the most multidimensional dry wines in the portfolio. It offers the most complex bouquet, melding fresh herb, lavender, honey, crushed stone and green orchard fruit aromas with a cleansing, lifted energy. The palate is dense, oily and deftly concentrated before transitioning into a broad, waxy and mineral-driven finish that lingers with a marine-driven lift. This is a singular and impressive calling for Tatomer as well as the Sta. Rita Hills.
Fun to say and delightfully easy to drink, Grüner Veltliner calls Austria its homeland. While some easily quaffable Grüners come in a one-liter—a convenient size—many high caliber single vineyard bottlings can benefit from cellar aging. Somm Secret—About 75% of the world’s Grüner Veltliner comes from Austria but the variety is gaining ground in other countries, namely Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and the United States.
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.