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Steele Reds
STEELE PINOT NOIR
GOODCHILD VINEYARD
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY
We are always interested in seeing what other growers
would do with Pinot Noir. Louie Lucas grows Chardonnay
for us and had planted a small acreage of Pinot Noir. It is interesting
that while Bien Nacido, just across the Sisquoc River, produces
deeply colored very concentrated wines, Goodchild tends toward lighter
wines with finesse and elegance.
With Pinot Noir we take a minimal approach to wine making.
Fermentations are carried out with as little manipulation
as possible. We use a gentle crusher, one short pump-over
per day and cool soak the grapes prior to the onset of
fermentation. The wine is always elegant, perfumed and
alluring. Our aging program is always in French Oak barrels,
which are heavily toasted during the bending of the staves.
This toasting gives a smoky aromatic backdrop to the wonderful
cherry fruit aromas and flavors. We usually bottle the
wine in December of the following year, so at a minimum
the wine spends 12 months in French Oak.
Because of the lighter style of this wine, we tend to recommend
foods which are light and not as intensely flavored. Salmon in dill
sauce or rack of lamb work well with this wine. Avoid heavy
sauces or reductions as these may cover some of the delicate flavor of this wine.
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