Siduri Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir 2020
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Jeb
Dunnuck -
Wine
Spectator
Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
The Sta. Rita Hills shines brightest with minimal winemaking intervention – thus, the 2020 vintage in particular was one of the most hands-off wines they've produced. Moderate extraction and minimal oak influence allow cohesion of the various beautiful vineyard sites to blend together effortlessly. Occasional whole-cluster was employed in mature vineyard sections with more lignified stems to add spice and floral overtones.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Slightly more expensive, the 2020 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills has classic appellation savory red fruits, loamy earth, and spicy aromatics, and it's medium-bodied, pure, polished, and elegant on the palate, with supple tannins and some classic Siduri fruit and texture.
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Wine Spectator
Ripe but restrained and focused, with mulberry and raspberry puree notes driving through, this delivers fresh acidity against a backdrop of red licorice and tea. Subtle savory freshness adds perk to the finish. Drink now
Other Vintages
2018-
Jeb
Dunnuck -
Robert
Parker
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Jeb
Dunnuck -
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Spectator
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Jeb
Dunnuck
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Wine
Spectator
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Wine
Spectator -
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Enthusiast
Two Pinot Noir lovers, Adam and Dianna Lee, founded Siduri Wines in 1994. They produced only four and a half barrels of Pinot Noir that first vintage. Now they handcraft over 10,000 cases of Pinot Noir from vineyards ranging from Oregon's Willamette Valley down to the Santa Rita Hills and Santa Lucia Highlands AVAs. Each Pinot Noir is created using gravity flow and minimal intervention, with the goal of reflecting the unique terroir of each particular vineyard. Siduri Wines and its sibling, Novy Family Wines have received the Wine Spectator's New York Wine Experience "Critics Choice" recognition a combined seven times since 2004.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
A superior source of California Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills is the coolest, westernmost sub-region of the larger Santa Ynez Valley appellation within Santa Barbara County. This relatively new AVA is unquestionably one to keep an eye on.
The climate of Sta. Rita Hills is a natural match for Chardonnay and Pinot noir, thanks to the crisp ocean breezes and well-drained, limestone-rich calcareous soil. Here, grapes ripen just enough, while retaining brisk acidity and harmonious balance.