Steele Pinot Blanc 2007

Vineyards

As Jed started seeking alternatives to Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc emerged as a personal favorite. This grape is the colorless expression of the red Pinot Noir grape. The Pinot family have very unstable genetics and the result are the many clones of Pinot Noir, the dusky colored white grape called Pinot Gris and this grape the Pinot Blanc. Santa Barbara, with its maritime desert climate provides just the right combination of tropical and apple notes, while preserving a crisp acidity that makes it a refreshing food wine. The grapes are sourced from Bien Nacido Vineyard outside of Santa Maria in Santa Barbara County. The vines are mature (10+ years) but not old. The vineyard block is one of the westernmost on the property, adjacent to fields of strawberries, cauliflower, and bell peppers. This end of the vineyard is a little lower in elevation, and most exposed to both fog and coastal breezes. the fruit is harvested in late September or early October, depending on the year. Yields rarely exceed three tons per acre. The soil is sandy loam, over a layer of ancient sea bed, filled with shells and fossils.

Winemaking

The fruit from this area tends to have tropical fruit aromas and flavors, as well as peach and melon characteristics and we also find the hallmark green apple character common in Pinot Blanc. The nose is aromatic with a soft and creamy mid-palate. We ferment Pinot Blanc in neutral oak barrels, so there is great weight and mouthfeel but the wine is not over oaked. The wine is then aged for just under 4 months in oak, also neutral. The wine is bottled in the early spring. The most common descriptor we hear applied to this wine is simply “yummy”.