I was kindly gifted, by a customer who I feel may well start to feature on here, a bottle of Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir 2013 from Sandhi Wines last week. The remit was a simple one, to "try it and report back". Sandhi are an estate I am aware of but have only tried twice, appearing on here once but in both previous instances it was the Chardonnays.
The blurb on their site says:
Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir - This is our entry level Pinot Noir and is a blend of our vineyard holdings in the Sta. Rita Hills. Over half the fruit is from 40 year-old vines at Sanford & Benedict vineyard with the rest coming from our sections and younger vines at Rita’s Crown and Bent Rock. This wine showcases the exuberance of Sta. Rita Hills with bright, shiny red crunchy raspberry fruit that is layered with cola spices and tobacco. The wines are delicious now and will age gracefully for another 5-7 years. The appellation Pinot Noir also offers a great introduction to the style of our wines and will assuredly over-deliver for its price.
Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir - This is our entry level Pinot Noir and is a blend of our vineyard holdings in the Sta. Rita Hills. Over half the fruit is from 40 year-old vines at Sanford & Benedict vineyard with the rest coming from our sections and younger vines at Rita’s Crown and Bent Rock. This wine showcases the exuberance of Sta. Rita Hills with bright, shiny red crunchy raspberry fruit that is layered with cola spices and tobacco. The wines are delicious now and will age gracefully for another 5-7 years. The appellation Pinot Noir also offers a great introduction to the style of our wines and will assuredly over-deliver for its price.
So here's my write up, I deliberately wanted to try it over 24 hours which was quite hard work as I would have happily drunk it down in one sitting - always a good sign!
Opened Saturday 7pm
Cool temp, has a mulled
and slightly powdered darker fruit nose with good texture...there is a shade of
overripe citrus rind as well. The balance of
richness and freshness is super, deep with an almost softening strawberry
finish...long. Then raspberry and saline
comes through...this is moreish.
Sunday from 5pm (half full bottle had been kept cool)
More purity and red
fruited-ness on day two, strawberries and cream on the nose, drier on the palate. Rosemary-like
notes...not herbal generally, good grip, a little shorter than yesterday. There is a sappy energy. Then with extra air
the nose became more and more balanced and melded..
Certainly rerady to drink but I would agree with the "5-7 years" comment above.
Certainly rerady to drink but I would agree with the "5-7 years" comment above.
Verdict - Very good if short of profound at the price a really lovely wine - an exciting estate!
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