Rich and intense best describes the 2016 Lindsay’s Pinot Noir. Aromatics of dark charred blackberries, Chambord, and boysenberry jam make your mouth water. Intense dark fruit notes of lush blackberry and hints of coffee bean linger followed by a finish including dried pomegranate, black pepper, and oregano. This wine has intense fruit concentration and paired with rich toasted french oak makes for a divine combination. Pair this wine a filet mignon for an evening of decadence.

The Sta. Rita Hills is one of California’s premier cool-climate AVAs. It is also one of the smaller AVAs with 99% of its territory falling within the larger Santa Ynez Valley AVA. Intersected by the Santa Ynez River, this picturesque region is located between the towns of Buellton and Lompoc in Santa Barbara County. Lindsay’s Vineyard is a rolling site featuring six distinct, limestone-based soil types. As is the norm for Sta. Rita Hills, it is a cool, coastally-influenced site. Lindsay’s is planted to a mix of heritage and heirloom clones carefully matched to the terroir. Driven by lively red and blueberry fruit, with whispers of a briar patch and a touch of wet stone.

Our Pinot Noir was hand-harvested from Lindsay’s Vineyard in the Sta. Rita Hills. Thee clusters were then de-stemmed with no crushing and the must was cold-soaked in open-top fermenters for four days prior to inoculation. Each tank was manually punched down daily for more extraction. The wine was then transferred to tank for settling after primary fermentation and maceration. Finally, individual lots were racked in 50% new French oak barrels and aged for 18 months.