PINOT NOIR

Great value! A particularly wonderful vintage of this wine. Aromas and flavors of strawberries and raspberries are joined by anise and clove notes with mouth filling intensity.

Clark and Telephone Vineyard, located near the corner of Clark Avenue and Telephone Road in the Santa Maria Valley, is cooled by wind and fog that snakes in from the Pacific Ocean along a channel of the Santa Maria River. Established in 1972, the Clark and Telephone Vineyard was planted "own root" to the Martini clone. This heirloom clone of Pinot Noir, one of the first to grace the California coastlands, has become something of a lost treasure.

In the winery, the clusters were de-stemmed and the must underwent a cold soak. Fermentation began with the inoculation of yeast strains matched to each lot of grapes. The maceration process during fermentation consisted of a combination of punch-down and pump-over techniques, each day the techniques would be reassessed to ensure that we were riding the line between over extraction and under extraction. The wine was aged in French oak (60% percent new) for nine months and was racked once upon completion of malolactic fermentation and again upon blending.

Scarlet in color; bursting with aromas of cinnamon, caramel and hints of ginger-spiced tea. On the palate, the plush weight coats the mouth with more brown spice and sweet oak flavors, layered into the deep blueberry and strawberry base. The viscosity paired with the flavors and lively acidity lead into a long finish with supple tannins.

Julia's Vineyard, named for Julia Jackson in 1988, consists of ancient soils with fossilized seashells, shale, limestone and sand, with fog-swept vines that have endured since the 1970s. This unique piece of land thrives in the cool, maritime influences that funnel in from the Pacific Ocean, allowing for the longest growing season in the state.

Red fruit characters of cranberry, cherry, pomegranate; a balance of earth and baking spices; elegant tannins and a savory finish.

ANTONIO GALLONI 92 POINTS - "The 2017 Pinot Noir (Santa Barbara County) is bright, lifted and absolutely delicious. Sweet floral notes and bright, red toned fruit give this gracious, ethereal Pinot tons of class. This is an impeccable wine in its peer group. Deovlet's appellation wines are often overachievers, as is very much the case here."

Dierberg has been on a roll the past few years! Other wineries have sourced fruit from this prominent vineyard and received high scores for their superbly crafted wines. Dierberg still sells much of their fruit, but they have begun to keep some of the better sections for themselves. That being said, their own label hasn't skipped a beat, and is receiving the same high scores as their customers!

Located 13 miles from the Pacific Ocean in one of the coolest wine-growing corners of California's Central Coast, Dierberg Vineyard is on the western edge of Santa Barbara County's Santa Maria Valley appellation, which is world-renowned for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Their vineyard is planted to newer "Dijon" clones, as well as other "heritage clones"; heritage clones whose roots go back to the Burgundy area of France, offering a clonal diversity unlike almost any other Pinot vineyard in California.

JEB DUNNUCK 94 POINTS - "The more translucent, ruby-colored 2017 Pinot Noir Julia's Vineyard comes from a vineyard in the Santa Maria Valley and was all destemmed before spending 16 months in 44% new French oak. Classic raspberry, forest floor, sweet spice, and sappy floral notes all flow to a medium-bodied, vibrant, incredibly classy effort. It's balanced, has integrated acidity, and a great finish. It's another terrific Pinot Noir from Santa Barbara County that's going to evolve for at least a decade."

Bill Wathen and Dick Dore have been making wine together since 1985, when they founded Foxen Winery and Vineyard at the historic Rancho Tinaquaic in northern Santa Barbara County. Since that time, their dedication has remained the same - the creation of very small production, sustainably-farmed, vineyard-focused wines using a "minimalist" approach to winemaking. Foxen is named in memory of William Benjamin Foxen, an English sea captain and Dick's great-great grandfather, who came to Santa Barbara in the early 1800s and purchased the Rancho Tinaquaic. Captain Foxen adopted the distinctive "anchor" as his cattle brand, which became the trademark of the winery. Foxen is at home on the history Rancho Tinaquaic with its solar-powered winery, tasting room and 7200 "shack."

JEB DUNNUCK 91 POINTS - "I loved the nose of the 2017 Pinot Noir Santa Maria Valley. It just screams Pinot Noir with its spiced cherry, raspberry, white pepper, and sappy herb aromas and flavors. Medium-bodied, nicely textured, fresh, and lively on the palate, it's a smoking little Calif Pinot Noir well worth checking out. This cuvEe was just 25% destemmed and spent 9 months in used French oak. There are 3,500 cases produced."

For the winery's top-of-the-line bottling, the best barrels are blended from the best vineyards. The goal is to achieve balance and complexity in a graceful and elegant, yet compelling and complete expression of Pinot Noir from the region."HIGHLINER" is a barrel selection (70% new French oak) of maritime-cooled vineyards in Santa Barbara County, combining the forward fruit and richness of the Santa Maria Valley, with the earthiness and structure of fruit from the Sta. Rita Hills. The blend of vineyards can change with each vintage depending on which ones produce the best of the best for that particular growing season.

JEB DUNNUCK 90-92 POINTS - "Coming from a handful of sites in Santa Barbara County and still aging in used barrels, the 2018 Pinot Noir Santa Barbara County sports a deep ruby/plum color as well as notes of candied cherries, violets, Asian spices, and underbrush. It's another rounded, polished, incredibly attractive wine from Loring that has plenty of fruit and texture, good complexity, and a balanced, approachable style."

JEB DUNNUCK 94+ POINTS - "I continue to love this vineyard, which is located in the cooler Santa Maria Valley, just west of Bien Nacido, and the 2016 Pinot Noir Solomon Hills from Tolmach certainly delivers the goods in 2016. Black cherries, spring flowers, damp underbrush, and a kiss of reduction all flow to a focused, fresh, and tight Pinot Noir that has terrific balance, a focused texture, and a great finish. It needs 2-3 years of bottle age and will have over a decade of prime drinking."

ANTONIO GALLONI 93+ POINTS - "The 2016 Pinot Noir Solomon Hills offers terrific depth and intensity, but it is also a bit reduced, something I am not used to seeing in Ojai Pinots. Even so, the purity of the dark red cherry and plum fruit is striking. The 2016 is a wine of deep intrigue, but it is not anywhere near ready to show all of its cards."

The nose is full of spiced tea, flowers, and that distinct oceanic saltiness our region provides. It's pliant and silky on the palate, with swelling sweet red notes of berries and cherry that make a slow taper into resinous spice, smoky cedar and salinity.

If you do not yet know the name Paul Lato, and you haven't heard us talking about him in our store, then it's time to listen up! We are telling you right now that Paul Lato is producing some of the most exciting Pinot Noirs, Chardonnays, and Syrahs coming out of California's Central Coast!

After working as a Sommelier in Toronto, Paul decided to change gears and work in winemaking. After working with Jim Clenden at Au Bon Climat, Paul started making his first wines. Before he even had a name, esteemed critic Robert Parker tasted the wines and suggested that Paul hurry up and come up with a label, because Paul had true talent. Paul only works with premier vineyards; he tastes wines from other producers who use fruit from a potential vineyard, and if that wine excites him, then he tries to get the best fruit from the property.

Paul makes several different wines, but he does not make a large amount of any one bottling. In fact, he often makes just a few hundred cases of a particular label, which means getting your hands on them is even harder. However, our buyer has known Paul for well over a decade, so we tend to get a rather generous allocation...thanks Paul!

The scores for Paul's wines have only been going up and up. In fact, one of his Syrahs received 100 points! We just received a few releases this week, and we felt the need to bring these incredible wines to your attention before they're all gone!

Paul's Tasting Notes: "The 2019 Suerte has the classic suave and brooding character of a Solomon Hills Pinot Noir. It is scented of black tea leaves, dried lilac, and potpourri. Flavor and complexity abound, with notes of truffle, forest floor, and macerated strawberries. The balance of savory salinity and Santa Maria perfume makes this one of the most intriguing in the lineup. The palate is endlessly smooth and supple, ending in a rounded seamless texture with fabulous refinement and class."

Santa Maria Valley has as its hallmark one of the few valleys on the North and South American Pacific Coast that runs transverse to the ocean, funneling cool marine breezes inland. Set between the San Rafael Mountains to the north and the Solomon Hills to the south, this unique feature and reliable California heat produce an unusually long wine-grape growing season and "hang time" (125 days on average). The result is complex wines with intense flavors, and naturally balanced acidity.

ROBERT PARKER'S WINE ADVOCATE 92 POINTS - "The 2017 Pinot Noir Santa Maria Valley has a pale to medium ruby color and opens with gravel dust, violet, Earl Grey tea, orange oil, autumn leaves and earth with dried red cherries, dried cranberry, red licorice and wild blackberries. The palate is light to medium-bodied with concentrated, nuanced fruits, grainy tannins and very juicy acidity, finishing long and layered. What a lovely expression this vintage."

ANTONIO GALLONI 90 POINTS - "The 2017 Pinot Noir (Santa Maria Valley) is airy and gracious, with striking aromatic intensity driving the balance. Crushed red berries, mint, blood orange and sweet spice are all nicely delineated in this sensual, delicate Pinot from Presqu'ile."

The grapes for this Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir hail from three vineyards, all influenced by the cooling fog of the nearby Pacific and perfectly suited for growing Pinot Noir. Upon delivery to the winery early in the morning, the grapes were de-stemmed and placed into small 1-ton bins, where they were punched down by hand 2-3 times each day. The resulting wine was transferred into French oak barrels, of which 31% were new, and aged for 11 months. It was then bottled unfiltered, given a few months of bottle aging to allow the flavors to integrate, and released in Winter 2019.

JEB DUNNUCK 90 POINTS - "Moving to the reds, the value-priced 2017 Pinot Noir (100% Pinot Noir aged 11 months in 31% new French oak) offers a medium ruby color as well as a pretty perfume of mulled cherry and raspberry fruits, spice, potpourri, and underbrush. It's medium-bodied, with a silky texture, beautiful balance, and a great finish. Drink it over the coming 4-5 years."

ANTONIO GALLONI 96 POINTS - "The 2018 Pinot Noir Dierberg Vineyard Block 5 is a total knockout. Dark blue/purplish fruit, lavender, spice, menthol and sage give the 2018 so many shades of nuance. A dark, somber expression of Pinot comes through loud and clear. Wild, deep, exotic, the 2018 is truly spectacular. All it needs is more time in bottle."