Winemaker Notes
Sunlight into wine. A bright crisp white wine tasting of pear and crystalized ginger.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2023 Grüner Veltliner Meeresboden is a blend from John Sebastiano and Kick-On, done with native fermentations and aged 50% in acacia barrels and 50% in stainless steel. Powerful, creamy, yeasty tones and minty white peach fruit blossom upward and outward in a bold, voluptuous wine with no shortage of precision or clarity. Honeyed nuances make this feel almost hedonistic, but the scintillating acids never let up. Wow.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2023 Grüner Veltliner Meeresboden, German for "ocean soil," has become a signature wine in the Tatomer lineup. Sourced from John Sebastiano and Kick-on Ranch, it was aged in predominantly stainless steel with additions of acacia foudre without malolactic fermentation. A stony, bright, clean nose of green fruits, citrus peels, wet slate and petrichor transitions to a pleasantly supple, suave palate. The finish begins on a graceful, layered note before impressively expanding in dimension and length.
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Wine Enthusiast
Dried grassland and wet lawn aromas converge on the nose of this bottling, as do hints of lime peel and tangerine flesh. The texture is waxy and the body is bigger on the palate, where sandy beach, lime zest and moss flavors align atop an energetic acidity.
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.
With a dry and mild climate cooled significantly by moist ocean fog and breezes, Santa Barbara County is a grape-grower’s dream. Part of the larger Central Coast appellation, Santa Barbara is home to Santa Maria Valley and Santa Ynez Valley. The conditions here provide an opportunity for nearly effortless production of high-quality cool-climate Central Coast wines. This is also the site of the 2004 film Sideways, which caused Pinot Noir’s popularity to skyrocket and brought new acclaim to the region.
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are the stars of Santa Barbara, producing wines marked by racy acidity. Crisp Sauvignon Blanc and savory Syrah are also important. The region is home to many young and enthusiastic winemakers eager to experiment with less common varieties including Chenin Blanc, Grüner Veltliner, Trousseau Gris, Gamay and Cabernet Franc, making it an exciting area to watch.