Expression 34 degrees Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir 2013
-
Wine
Spectator
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Spectator
A rich, intense style, loaded with dark berry, raspberry, spice and floral scents. For all the apparent size on display, this remains graceful and easy to enjoy. Delivers ample density and tannins on the finish, with the concentration and depth to cellar. Drink now through 2022.
1: an act, process, or instance of representing in a medium
(a): something that manifests, embodies, or symbolizes something else
2: great pinot noir! (see below)
Pinot Noir is notoriously fickle, but can be brilliant when grown in the right terroir. Expression Wines represent a commitment to producing the finest Pinot Noir from the best sub-appellations on the West Coast.
Our vineyards at different latitudes represent different 'Expressions' of great Pinot Noir and our winemaker, Richard Sowalsky, is dedicated to crafting only the best wines from each region. Our winegrowing regions include the Santa Rita Hills (34°), the Sonoma Coast (38°), the Anderson Valley (39°), and the Eola-Amity Hills (44°) of Willamette Valley, Oregon.
Our goal is to showcase both the 'Grand-Cru' vineyards and the terroir of each sub-appellation. Each vintage, we will be bringing to you our finest blends from each latitude as well as small single vineyard designate lots that represent the best of what our vineyards can deliver!
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.