The Santa Rita Hills, an appellation within Santa Barbara County, offers an incredibly distinct soil type and climate that boasts a suitability for Burgundian varietals that is only rivaled by Oregon within the United States. It all began for the Santa Rita Hills when Richard Sanford, upon returning from Vietnam, teamed up with Michael Benedict for their first spectacular vintage in 1975. A domino effect ensued and the rest is history. The diatomaceous earth, composed of fossilized diatoms from the period when the area was under water, coupled with the cool climate derived from the terrain’s proximity to the Pacific and its fog line coalesces to create a unique sense of place that is unlike any other coastal pocket in California.

Although Justin Willett’s wines have an advantage due to their ideal locale, a vast amount of dedication and expert guidance also go into crafting each bottle. Justin’s farming approach is simple but highly attuned; he custom farms each block according to its particular needs. With a focus on varietal and terroir, he strives for minimal movement following harvest, which often occurs before sunrise. In the cellar, he utilizes native yeasts in fermentation and ages the wine in 20-30% new French oak, which allows the purity of the varietal to speak for itself. Although Justin’s first vintage was only in 2005, following his tenure as assistant winemaker at Arcadian Winery, he has refined his touch each season and has inevitably created a style that is unique to Tyler wines. The 2013 Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir, predominantly sourced from the Bentrock Vineyard, is not your typical fruit-forward California Pinot. As always, this is a wine of poise, grace and balance of fruit that is, as I have mentioned before, more similar to Oregon or riper red Burgundy than the wines typically seen from the state of California. 

 

In the glass, this wine has a lovely, bright dark ruby core that moves to pink reflections on the rim. The intensely aromatic floral nose boasts tremendously pure red and black berries including wild strawberry, goji berry, huckleberry and black cherry laced with hibiscus, tea leaf, wet rose, wild sage, star anise, and a hint of grape stems alongside a light touch of new French oak. The palate offers a seamless, velvet texture coupled with layers of wild red berries that unfold on the palate over white chalk-like minerality, which finishes with the perfect balance of pure fruit and subtle oak flavors. If cellared well, this wine will be delicious over the next decade and will most likely peak over the next 3-4 years. This Pinot does not require decanting; however, I would open the bottle an hour prior. Serve at 55-65 degrees in a Burgundy stem, then watch as the wine unfolds in the glass. As with any great Pinot Noir, it will be at its best with a great dish. This particular Duck with Cherries recipe will be heaven alongside this stunning wine.