Winemaker Notes
Aromatically this wine is red fruit-driven, with spiced cherries and rhubarb. On the palate, this wine follows those red fruit flavors, as well as notes of ginger root, strawberries, and a youthful kick of acidity.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
The nose here is slightly reserved on the first pour, which I find consistent with the old-vine cuvées from this site. It has aromas of boiled red sweets, Earl Grey tea and pine cones. The texture on the palate is broad, lively and animated, with a bright, focused and tense finish. There is no denying the definitive quality of Sanford & Benedict Vineyard, and Tyler Winery’s expression routinely sits at the top of the class. The 2018 saw 50% whole cluster fermentation, was aged 14 months in barrel, blended and then returned to barrel before bottling.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Pale ruby, the 2018 Pinot Noir Sanford & Benedict takes some time to open on the nose, unfolding to cranberry sauce, wild blackberries, tangerine and flint with detailed earthy accents. The palate surprises with its broody, iron-laced fruits and powerful, grainy tannins, and it finishes long and minerally. It will benefit from another 2-3 years in bottle. Rating: 95+
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
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.