2022 WALT Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir
Critic Review
Editors' Choice"This appellation cuvée is just as strong as the brand’s single-vineyard expressions. Lovely aromas of cherry, berry, red flower, sumac and cinnamon draw the nose into the wine. Focused flavors of cherry and strawberry give way to peach and white pepper on the palate, where fine-grained tannins recall pulverized chalk."
94 Points | Owen Bargreen
"...gorgeous nose with pretty potpourri tones alongside salted kumquat and shades of pomegranate seed. The wine is pretty and concentrated with a seriously good mouthful and loads of diatomaceous earth character alongside an ebullient core of red fruit flavors."
Central Coast AVA
Roughly 250 miles along the coastline of California
from Santa Barbara County to San Francisco County
Sta. Rita Hills
Follows a clearly defined maritime “throat” that
ushers in the Pacific fog and constant cooling breezes.
Sandy Loam Soils
Cause vines to produce grapes with powerful varietal
character
The 2022 showcases bright fruit flavors - red cherry, raspberry and pomegranate —complemented by a unique salinity characteristic of the region. Its lively, fleshy structure harmonizes with the fruit with just the right amount of grip through the mouthwatering finish.
-
Red Cherry
-
Raspberry
-
Pomegranate
-
Salinity
Our Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir is crafted from a blend of vineyards that express the unique character of this region. From rolling hills to high elevation sites, the vines are exposed to fog and cooling ocean breezes. The resulting wine is rich, spicy and bursting with concentrated flavors.
Bottle Size | 750mL |
---|---|
Varietal Composition | 100% Pinot Noir |
Barrel Aging | 10 Months in 30% New French Oak |
Appellation | Sta. Rita Hills, Santa Barbara County |
Vineyard | Clos Pepe, Our Lady of Guadalupe, La Encantada, and Pali |
Vintage Notes | The 2022 vintage wines are immediately appealing, showing fruit-forward aromatics, breadth, and sophistication. Even in the third year of drought, good vine growth was a pleasant surprise. Heavy rains started at the end of November, continued into early December, dried down, and arrived again near bud break, resaturating the soils. Frost in March contributed to a lighter crop. By July the season was tracking on the warmish side indicating an earlier harvest. Temperate weather was interrupted by a big heat wave in early September, which propelled earlier ripening sites into a fast-paced harvest window. |