Santa Barbara Pinot Noir
As everywhere else in California, 2010 was a nailbiting vintage in Santa Barbara — as much as anything because it underscored the divergent Pinot styles being pursued, especially in Sta. Rita Hills.
The best examples played to the year’s cooler side and brought out fresher flavors, whether the intense, almost salty flavors of that area or the more generous fruit flavors of Santa Maria Valley.
While the blended bottles (in the $30 range) are often the strong suit in this part of the world, many were a challenge this time around. But some were quite strong, as were some designates from vineyards with familiar names.
If there’s any concern, it’s that price creep is making these wines tougher to enjoy. But all the choices here would grace any holiday table with pride — and show the true potential of the Central Coast.
2010 Chanin Bien Nacido Vineyard Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir ($49, 13.77%): Gavin Chanin learned his winemaking ropes in the heart of Bien Nacido, at Au Bon Climat and Qupé, so why wouldn’t he turn out a defining example of Santa Barbara’s most popular vineyard? This shows the robust cherry fruit that Bien Nacido can provide, but also tremendous verve — almost briny in its minerality, with green tea and mustard-seed scents, and an intense freshness. Give it a year in the cellar.
2010 Longoria Fe Ciega Vineyard Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir
($48, 13.9%): Rick Longoria’s 2010s are his finest in years, and this, from the vineyard he first planted in 1998 on a mesa above the Santa Ynez River, is a great match of his long experience in the area with some of Santa Rita’s most interesting soils. Densely knit and intense, with subtle oak. Filled with a thyme-edged mineral presence plus rich bayberry and wild blueberry. His Lovely Rita Pinot Noir ($32, 13.8%) covers similar territory at a Thanksgiving-friendly price.
2010 Sandhi Sanford & Benedict Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir
($65, 13%): Sommelier Rajat Parr and winemaker Sashi Moorman have produced an extraordinary reminder that Richard Sanford found Santa Rita’s sweet spot a full four decades ago. A dramatic, age-worthy bottle, with a duskiness and intense mineral power to match taut red fruit, bayberry, kirsch and dried thyme. Too many mediocre S&B bottles have appeared in recent years; this is a reminder of the vineyard’s timelessness.
2010 Dragonette Cellars Fiddlestix Vineyard Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir
($54, 14.3%): The young Lompoc-based label has found a great expression for this popular vineyard and its more river-influenced soils. A wonderful watermelon-skin tension matches the sweet oak and the darker, musky fruit — think roasted cherry and black currant. Sizable and plush, with an innate tension that shows off the talent of winemaker Brandon Sparks-Gillis.
2010 Twomey Bien Nacido Vineyard Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir
($54, 13.5%): Winemaker Ben Cane’s efforts at Silver Oak’s sister winery have mostly been focused up north, but here they reach farther afield. Polished and a bit sweet, this takes Bien Nacido’s rich fruit and matches it with wonderful acidity and a roasted-spice aspect that never pushes into the cola realm. Light on its feet, and very much in line with Twomey’s current style.
2010 Kenneth Volk Vineyards Santa Maria Cuvee Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir
($30, 14.2%): Volk, another veteran hand in Santa Barbara, aims for a rich style here. This blend of several sites near his Santa Maria winery shows generous strawberry and red cherry, with a hint of jam but ample brightness, underscored by nuanced orange-rind and vanilla bean. Userfriendly.
2009 Native9 Rancho Ontiveros Vineyards Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir
($64, 14.5%): James Ontiveros (go to: sfg.ly/TcY6Y8) continues this tribute to his family’s long roots in Santa Maria. The style is a bit heavier (ditto the latest Alta Maria wines, this label’s sibling) but the mostly Swan-clone planting can take it: a spicy, sanguine profile — black tea, pine needle and peppercorn, opulent roasted cherry and tangy pomegranate. Complex, with a dense tannic undercarriage that will appeal to those looking for muscle.