Steele Pinot Noir Santa Barbara County 2009

We started making Pinot Noir from Santa Barbara to complement our tremendously popular Carneros Pinot. Where Carneros Pinot leans toward bright and elegant fresh raspberry and cherry notes, Santa Barbara Pinots are dark, rich and complex, with dried cherry, herb, cola, sassafras and minerally flavors. The two wines form a great partnership in showcasing the breadth of style in California Pinot.

Vineyard

Our Santa Barbara Pinot comes from two vineyards; Bien Nacido and Goodchild. Bien Nacido is the largest single vineyard holding in Santa Barbara. The other vineyard source is from Louis Lucas. We get fruit from his Goodchild Vineyard. Goodchild has mostly the Pommard clones (4 & 5) while Los Alamos is mostly Dijon clones (115, 667, and 777). Goodchild usually ripens around the beginning of October a week later than the Bien Nacido Vineyard.

Winemaking

In making this Pinot Noir, we let the terroir of these beautiful vineyards do the talking. After harvest, grapes are gently crushed, whereupon they undergo a slow, cool fermentation in barrel, allowing the classic Pinot Noir flavors and floral aromas characteristic of the vineyards to emerge. We then lay the wine down into 30% new French oak barrels to age for 8 months. Basic yeast and minimalist winemaking are used on our Pinot to let the appellation speak as much as possible.

Tasting Notes

Dark, rich and complex, aromas of dried cherry with flavors of bright cherry, strawberry, herb, cola, sassafras, and mineral components. Full mouthfeel and good structure holds this Pinot Noir up to its long spicy finish.

Food pairing

Roast pheasant with a cherry and almond chutney, or with creamy polenta with mushrooms and eggplant.    

Awards

94pts. Affairs of the Vine, Pinot Shootout, 2008 vintage.