California Pinot Noir rarely has the same earthy, mineral imprint of red Burgundy. Conversely, Burgundy Pinot Noir rarely has the same concentration of fruit that California delivers consistently (and with relative ease). I’ll admit that, as a Burgundy lover, I tend to favor ethereal over exuberant and tend to favor Californian Pinots that hint at the Old World in their styling. I realize that this isn’t exactly fair, but I can’t help it (and neither can most sommeliers I know).
That said, this Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir from Ampelos found its way into my heart without trying to be Burgundy. As summer comes to a close, think of the times over the last month when you ate a peach, or a strawberry, or a tomato, that was absolutely perfect. Those bites are so memorable because there are so many misses—too much under-ripe stuff attempting (unsuccessfully) to mature on a supermarket shelf. With California Pinot Noir, the misses tend to be in the opposite, overripe direction, but when they hit the target, as this wine does, they’re that perfect tomato, or strawberry, in wine form. I was blown away by this wine’s exceptional purity, its balance, its electricity, its layers of flavor, and yes, its earthy notes that give a hat-tip to the Old World. It hints at great Burgundy without aping it, and that’s enough. And, lest I forget, it’s an excellent value—easily one of the best under-$30 Californians I’ve tasted all year. Do not miss this opportunity to taste an unabashedly New World wine that will excite even the staunchest of Francophiles.
There’s no doubt that the Santa Rita Hills AVA is producing some of the most exciting Pinot Noirs on the market right now. Though relatively ‘new,’ with most of its vineyards planted only in the last 20 years, the Santa Rita Hills has nevertheless become one of the most important New World wine regions. New clones, combined with unique geology and temperature fluctuations, have made this Santa Barbara County wine region one of the greatest terroirs in California. The cool Pacific climate allows grapes to hang on the vines for extended periods of time, giving berries time to reach phenolic ripeness without excess sugar ripeness. Chalky, fossilized soils instill layers of minerality in the wine, and good drainage along with low rainfall result in wines with excellent natural acidity, soft tannin and beautiful esters and aromas. Undoubtedly one of my favorite new world wine regions, the Santa Rita Hills are capable of producing Pinot Noirs with the focus and intensity of Grand Cru Burgundy.
The appellation is located at the western end of the Santa Ynez Valley, between the towns of Buelton and Lompoc. Made particularly popular by the movie Sideways, winemakers from all over the world have rushed to plant new clones of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay here in the last two decades, and we are finally enjoying the fruition of their hard work. Modern trellising and winemaking have been employed and a strong push toward sustainable farming has become the culture, but it is the exceptional climate and geology that set this region apart. The Santa Rita Hills boast one of the coolest climates in California, with summer temperatures dropping lower than Russian River in Sonoma or Carneros in Napa Valley. The western end is located close to the Pacific Ocean, providing cool ocean breezes that dry grapes, prevent mildew and allow for slow maturation. Years of plate tectonics and volcanic activity have packed the soils with diatomaceous earth—a chalky substance full of calcium and fossilized hard-shelled algae, similar to the oyster-shelled soils of Burgundy. The entire region was once fully under the ocean, and now these poor, marine-rich soils limit high yields and add a remarkable minerality and fresh salinity that shows through in the wines.
Ampelos Cellars farms 82 acres in the Santa Rita Hills, and their vineyard is one of the first in the US to be certified organic and biodynamic. All the extra grape skins, stems, seeds, and lees are composted, and they ‘punch-down’ the fermenting wines by hand to minimize use of electricity. The terroir of the region is evident in their wines, and the minerality, earth and tannic structure shows beautifully in this example. Here, ethereal meets exuberant—you don’t have to choose! This 2015 is comprised of fruit from Ampelos’ estate vineyard along with some from the John Sebastiano Vineyard across the street, and was aged 10 months in French oak barrels, of which only 20% were new.
The 2015 Ampelos Pinot Noir has a bright, light, garnet-pink hue with hints of orange at the rim, and while by sight you’d be tempted to think it a lightweight wine, it’s anything but. It offers great purity of fruit, great focus, and bright acidity, dancing across the palate but leaving a lasting impact. The nose shows youthful aromas of wild berry, tart rhubarb, strawberry, and damp rose petals. The palate is medium-plus in body with a light touch of mushroom and crushed stone, sage, lavender and fine tannins. If tasting this wine blind, I might first have guessed the Willamette Valley in Oregon or even Chambolle-Musigny in Burgundy. This wine is Old World in spirit while retaining its resonant New World voice; buy a case and drink it all year long. It’s ready to go right out of the bottle, though its crisp, tangy acidity should preserve it for a good five years if you choose to cellar some. Wines like this always get me thinking of savory preparations that incorporate some fruit, as in the attached recipe. Enjoy!
