Winemaker Notes
The 2024 Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir showcases lifted, ripe fruit flavors of cherry, raspberry, and pomegranate, accented by candied floral notes that add aromatic brightness. The palate is lively and fresh, delivering concentrated fruit framed by the region’s hallmark salinity. Fine-grained tannins carry through the mouthwatering finish, delivering energy, purity, and balance.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This more affordable appellation cuvée offers just as much impact as many of the single-vineyard expressions. Lush and lovely aromas of violet, acai and black currant are both bold and juicy on the nose. Rich and ripe flavors of acai and blueberry are leveled by great acidic anergy and a compelling tension.
Editors' Choice -
Jeb Dunnuck
The quality of this appellation cuvée has really increased over the past couple of years, and the 2024 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills is every bit as good as the 2023. It has an almost Premier Cru-like nose of darker cherries, sous bois, sappy flowers, and violets. Medium-bodied and beautifully balanced, it has integrated acidity and fine tannins. It's a beautiful, classy, incredibly compelling Pinot Noir to drink over the coming 7-8 years. Drink 2026-2034.
WALT is dedicated to the production of premier Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the Pacific Coast's most distinctive vineyard sites, spanning nearly 1000 miles and including Sta. Rita Hills, Sonoma County, Anderson Valley, and the Willamette Valley. Their philosophy is that of precision, non-interventionist winemaking, thereby allowing the wines to naturally and honestly express the character of the site where the wines are grown. Under the artisanship of Director of Winemaking Steve Leveque and Winemaker Megan Gunderson, WALT Wines will continue to evolve and develop.
Located in the heart of Sonoma, just off the historic Sonoma Plaza, WALT Wines focuses on sourcing Pinot Noir fruit from premiere appellations stretching from Oregon's Willamette Valley to the Santa Rita Hills in California to craft the finest wines possible.
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.