PERFECTLY POIGNANT PINOTS YOU JUST HAVE TO OWN! 8

Tasting Santa Barbara Pinot Noir not only seduces and satiates the palate, but also teaches it about the wild and wondrous diversity between dirt, sunshine, temperature and clones, even if you pay just a bit of attention. (Of course, drinking is far greater fun than discussing.)

Our backyard’s Pinots have inspired such disparate observations from me as:

“I’m reminded of the scent of a forest after rainfall, with mushroom and earth prominent, abetted by cranberry and graphite,” as well as, “Aromatically, it’s as though a gingerbread man was doing the backstroke in your glass, given the cinnamon and clove notes that emanate upward.”

Whether sampling and noting a slight tilled earth note in a Santa Maria vineyard designate, or slurping a Sta. Rita Hills blend that smells like Thanksgiving potpourri, there’s most definitely a style to suit every preference. In this case, “all over the map” is a good thing…

Bob Wesley

2013

Winemaker notes: Rita’s Crown Vineyard, Sta. Rita Hills With the vineyards in my Terroir Extraordinaire portfolio really starting to mature, a new level of dimension is now starting to surface in all of the wines from 2013. And perhaps the best representative of this phenomenon is Block 14 at the Rita’s Crown Vineyard, a.k.a. Slice Of Heaven, where the slice just seems to be getting more and more delicious. If you want to get a handle on what the excitement is all about in the Sta. Rita Hills, just taste this wine that was grown in the absolute epicenter of the place. Beautiful raspberry-olallieberry fruit with lots of spice in the nose; gripping dark cheery-sarsaparilla fruit on the palate with a long finish.

This one needed no bottle time to show well. Isabelle has proven to age very well, and we routinely drink bottles with 15 years of age. Even though Isabelle is our “biggest” Pinot Noir with loads of intensity and power, it is still balanced and food friendly. This is a complete Pinot Noir with oak, tannin, alcohol, fruit and acid all mix in one seamless blend.

Fess Parker 2012 Ashley Vineyard

Wine Enthusiast says: “This ageworthy wine smells like the shady side of a mountain, with black olive notes and roasted fennel alongside cedarspiced strawberries and brambly berries. Both firm tannins and pungent acidity fuel the palate, with cherry, raspberry and slightly bitter espresso.”

Carr 91 Points

“Deep reddish purple color in the glass. Aromas of earthkissed black cherry. Sumptuous flavors of black cherry and blackberry with a beefy streak underneath. Well-crafted with supportive tannins and a silky, fruit-laden finish.” - Rusty Gaffne

Jalama Canyon Ranch Pinot

Vivid ruby-red.

High-pitched aromas of red and dark berry preserves, with a sexy floral quality emerging with air. Juicy and seamless on the palate, offering vibrant raspberry and bitter cherry flavors and a hint of licorice. Closes on a spicy note, with excellent clarity, supple tannins and lingering sweetness.

This blend of the finest vineyards in Santa Maria exhibits a rich, full bodied fruit flavor matched with earth undertones and gentle new French oak influence.

Lafond SRH 2013

The winemaker points out that this delicate fruit is picked at night to take advantage of cooler temperatures. The grapes are then processed the next morning. Cooler grapes are firmer and suffer less damage in handling. Seven Clones of Pinot Noir are present in this wine which come from 6 different blocks in the Lafond and Burning Creek Vineyards. Eighteen different fermenters were used. This mixture and blend allows for layering of complexity and brings out the character of Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir. Wine Enthusiast gives it a rating of 91. At just $27, this wine is a great value, indeed!

2013 Pinot Noir Appellation’s Edge Radian Vineyard, Sta. Rita Hills. It’s no longer a secret; growing Pinot Noir in the cool western end of the Sta. Rita Hills leads to wines of great intensity. With Appellation’s Edge (Blocks 32 & 33 at the Radian Vineyard) being about as western end as you can get, intensity is probably an understatement. In a year, 2013, that gave us a bevy of sensuous Pinots, “Edgy” delivered an ethereal expression of succulence and earth that few vineyards can. Dark and chunky, yet elegant, this vineyard continues to make some of the most amazing wine in the Appellation. It’s not just the girth that makes Edgy so impressive. It’s the fine-tuned side of its fruit that is haunting.

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