The Santa Rita Hills appellation in Santa Barbara County boasts incredibly distinct soils and climate that capture the majesty of Burgundian varietals in a way few places on earth can rival. It all began for the this special enclave of California when Richard Sanford arrived in the Santa Rita Hills with a dream. Sanford believed that the diatomaceous earth found in the Santa Rita Hills was uniquely suited to recreating the profound minerality of Burgundy’s Cote d’Or. Like Burgundy, this special appellation was once underwater and boasts millions of fossilized diatoms, a type of hard-shelled algae, in its sedimentary rock soils. Combine the striking minerality with the cool Pacific-influenced climate and you have a unique pocket of California that rivals Burgundy like no other site in the state. Sanford teamed up with Michael Benedict for their first spectacular vintage in 1975; a domino effect ensued, leading to an appellation designation for the Santa Rita Hills, and the rest is history.

 

Ryan Deovlet, a rockstar in the Santa Barbara County wine scene, has gleaned knowledge as a winemaker in Australia, New Zealand and Mendoza, Argentina. Upon returning to California, Ryan worked under Stephen Dooley of Stephan Ross Wine Cellars and served as assistant winemaker for Red Car Wine Company. With an insatiable thirst to start his own label, he met with Santa Rita Hills’ founding father, Richard Sanford, to secure grapes from his historic vineyards as well as a few special parcels – like today’s John Sebastiano Vineyard. This charmed site boasts marine-influenced breezes from the Pacific, steep, well-draining slopes of diatomaceous earth and diurnal shifts that moderate the grapes with a perfect balance of ripeness and freshness. From the eastern edge of the Santa Rita Hills appellation, the smaller, concentrated berries of the strict, low yielding vineyard deliver a dynamite fruit-to-juice ratio that lends weight, flavor as well as a distinct profile of this special terroir to the wine. Ryan uses partial whole clusters to craft this wine, which is aged for fifteen months in 40% new French oak. The result is a California Pinot Noir with the fruit of the new world combined with minerality and freshness that rivals the old world. In the case of this John Sebastiano Pinot Noir, the California fingerprint is an asset that will please California and Burgundy lovers alike.