This 2016 vintage of our Notorious Pinot Noir is one of our best yet, thanks to amazing weather of the Santa Maria Valley in Santa Barbara County, California during the growing season. The grapes come from Goodchild Vineyard. These vineyards consistently produce prize-winning Pinot Noir grapes. The soils vary from clay and gravel river deposits to hillside and hilltop sites reminiscent of the great vineyards of Burgundy. These valley vineyards benefit from a rare transverse mountain range topography, an east-west orientation which channels the cool ocean air of the Pacific into the coastal valleys, allowing warm days and cool nights to produce a long, gentle growing season. The fruit was hand-harvested and sorted by cluster to guarantee that only premium grapes made it into the barrels. Then, the wine was allowed to soak on the skins until the natural fermentation began.

Each step in the winemaking process was natural, without any of the usual additions that commercial wineries use, such as acid, nitrogen, and nutrients, which affect the natural flavors and taste. 10% of the barrels were new oak and the rest were one or two years old. The wine was aged in these barrels for 10 months before it was bottled without any fining or filtration. Pair with pork, salmon, roasted poultry, or creamy cheeses, like aged goat and Bucheron.

Tasting Notes: Full-bodied with juicy notes of cranberry, ripe plum, rhubarb, mocha, and pepper.