Winemaker Notes
Earthy, velvety, floral. This wine is intense! Mix a great site, with a great grape and 100% whole cluster fermentation, and this is what you get.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
There’s still a slight fizz to this young wine, which may add to its tantalizing, hard-to-put-down nature. Aromas of sage, eucalyptus, bay and sansho peppercorn meet with lively cranberry on the nose. It’s electric on the palate, zinging with cran-raspberry flavors that sail across waves of oregano, thyme and sagebrush into a menthol-inflected finish. Editors’ Choice.
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.