Santa Barbara Pinot Noir 2023

This cuvée comes from Santa Barbara County, on California’s Central Coast. It blends grapes from selected plots, mostly in the Santa Maria Valley, notably Bien Nacido, North Canyon and Rancho Real, complemented by Kick On and Los Alamos in the Los Alamos area.

The grapes are harvested by hand in several passes, then fermented in small lots with daily manual punch-downs. The wine is then aged for 8 months in François Frères French oak barrels, gaining depth and complexity while preserving the finesse of the fruit.

This wine reveals notes of redcurrant, blueberry, blood orange, wild strawberry, violet, bay leaf, white pepper, clove and wet stone. The palate is supple, juicy and harmoniously structured, carried by fresh acidity, measured tannins and a savoury finish with fruity, spicy and delicately earthy accents.

In the United States, 90% of the wine produced comes from California. It was the influx of gold prospectors into California that boosted the Californian wine industry in the mid-19th century, particularly in Sonoma and Napa. At the start of the 20th century there were 800 wineries. From 1919 to 1933, Prohibition destroyed the vast majority of the Californian wine industry, so much so that by 1933 only 140 wineries were still producing wine. It was not until 1960 that the wine industry began to recover from Prohibition, and California was then known mainly for fortified wines (in the style of Port). It was also in the 1960s that some of the most famous wineries were founded (Mondavi, Heitz Wine Cellars, Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, etc.). In 1976 a landmark event took place: the legendary tasting competition better known as the "Judgement of Paris". It pitted the greatest French wines against the American newcomers. On 24 May, an unexpected result shook the wine world when, to everyone's surprise, the United States came out on top. Yet the competition remains fairly unknown to the general public. Today there is no doubt that the United States produces great wines. Although California largely monopolises the reputation of American wines with its excellent Zinfandels, the state of Oregon produces some of the best Pinot Noir in the world and Washington State offers excellent Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.