2022 La Rinconada Vineyard Pinot Noir
Santa Rita Hills AVA
Tasting Notes
“Medium red hue. Aromas of sage, blackberry, boysenberry, and cherry cola unite for an interesting sensory experience. With time, notes of papaya, orange sorbet, and chokecherry add even more complexity. Once this lands gently on the palate, the flavors sway towards red fruits, citrus, and cola. Modest acidity, precise tannins, and undulating textures crescendo into an intricate and persistent finish. Enjoy now through 2031.”
~Bill Brosseau, Director of Winemaking
March 2024
“This expressive red’s engaging notes of kirsch and steeped mulberry are given a suave gloss of toast, adding a fun flurry of licorice, singed vanilla and fruitcake on the finish. Drink now through 2031. 360 cases made.” James Molesworth, Wine Spectator, June 2024
“The complex and compelling La Rinconada Pinot Noir is the best we’ve yet had from this vineyard, which sits just to the west of the Sanford & Benedict Vineyard. The wine opens with dark cherry skin and herbal, tea-like notes. It’s soft with dark red fruit on entry and earthy, briar and tobacco notes entering on the mid-palate. Finishes long with firm, gracious tannins. The 25 year old vines of La Rinconada are Clones 4 and Mount Eden. Matured 15 months in 67% new French oak. Give this wine some cellar time. 14.2% alc.” Don Winkler, International Wine Review, June 2024
Production Data
Growers: Terlato Family
Winemaker: Bill Brosseau
Appellation: Santa Rita Hills AVA
Elevation/Exposure: 235 feet; Northwest
Soil: Bayshore silty, clay loam
Vineyard Age: 25 years
Viticulture Practice: Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing (CCSW)
Vinification: Destemmed, fermented in Stainless steel
Cooperage & Ageing: 15 months in French oak, 67% new
Production: 15 barrels
Composition: 100% Pinot Noir (Clone 4 & Mount Eden Clone)
Acidity: 3.36 pH, 7.08 TA (g/L)
Alcohol: 14.2%
Harvest: September 26, 2022, hand harvested
Club Release: April 2024
Release Price: $79
Drink Now through 2031
Past Vintage Wine Scores
“Delivers warmed raspberry and blackberry compote notes laced with a racy bramble streak, along with light red tea, licorice and wood spice notes on the finish, which has nice underlying freshness. Drink now through 2027. 456 cases made.”
James Molesworth
Wine Spectator
June 2023
“Moderately dark garnet color in the glass. Very alluring perfume of warm cherry pie with spicy a la mode. The essence of red and dark red cherry and raspberry is long in the mouth and infused with tasty spice. Refined in character with bright acidity, agreeable tannins, and a compliment of oak. This wine is simply outstanding.”
Rusty Gaffney
PinotFile
December 2022
“Soft aromas of black-raspberry jam meet with a crushed-rock note on the nose of this bottling, which offers savory notes of soy and herbal touches of thyme. Fresh black-plum-juice flavors on the palate are lifted by sandalwood and light herb.”
Matt Kettmann
Wine Enthusiast
“Moderate garnet color in the glass. Soaring aromas of blackberry fruit, dark rose petal and wine cave. An exceptional wine with midweight flavors of black cherry and blueberry-pomegranate accented with welcome spice. Quite forward and giving with impressive purity of Pinot extract and gracious balance. There is a hint of earthiness that I find common in Pinot Noir from this vineyard. Even better when tasted several hours later and the following day from a previously opened bottle. The best La Rinconada Pinot Noir I have ever tasted.”
Rusty Gaffney
PinotFile
June 2021
“The La Rinconada Pinot Noir is high toned with a floral/fruity nose of dark rose petals and perfumed cherry and exotic spice nuances. On the palate, it’s refined and silky but also racy with excellent freshness and vibrancy and significant intensity. Vibrant and long on the finish with well-knit tannins.”
Don Winkler
International Wine Review
December 2021
“Red plum, cranberry, fennel pollen and a hint of roasted fruit show on the nose of this single-vineyard expression. The palate’s tart berry and plum flavors are complemented by light pepper and crushed herb, making for a clean, focused and cohesive sip.”
Matt Kettmann
Wine Enthusiast
December 2021
“Medium ruby color, fresh and layered, silky and subtle with elegant style and fine acid structure, smooth and quite lovely, long and lovely.”
Anthony Dias Blue
September 2020
“It may be but two-and-a-half years old, yet this wine boasts a surprising amount of very accessible fruit along with a hard-to-miss element of oaky sweetness that makes it oh-so-attractive right now. It is broad and very supple in feel on the palate, and, while its comparatively fine-grained tannins do afford it the spine and structure to age, it is a wholly delicious Pinot Noir at present whose considerable fruity virtues require no further cellaring to fully appreciate.”
Connoisseurs’ Guide to California Wine
June 2021
“Medium ruby color; crisp, bright and tangy, fresh and long with cherry fruit.”
Anthony Dias Blue
July 2019
“Coming from a mix of sites in the Sta. Rita Hills and all destemmed and brought up in 54% new French oak, the 2017 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills reveals a medium ruby color as well as incredibly charming notes of ripe raspberries, strawberries, spice, and white flowers. Rounded, supple, and elegant on the palate, with bright acidity, this is a beautiful, classy Pinot Noir to enjoy over the coming 5-6 years.”
Jeb Dunnuck
October 2019
“Vivid red. A highly perfumed bouquet evokes ripe, spice-tinged red and blue fruits, potpourri, vanilla and smoky minerals. Energetic and focused on the palate, offering vibrant black raspberry, boysenberry, spicecake and rose pastille flavors and an exotic touch of blood orange. Shows excellent clarity on the long, sweet, floral-driven finish, which features velvety, well-knit tannins.”
Josh Raynolds
Antonio Galloni’s Vinous
November 2019
“Slightly better than the La Encantada, the 2016 Pinot Noir La Rinconada Vineyard reveals a medium ruby/translucent color as well as complex notes of dried cherries, strawberries, dried flowers, and spice. Elegant, ethereally textured, and balanced, drink it over the coming 5-7 years.”
Jeb Dunnuck
“This is a lovely fresh wine, very fruit forward with dark cherry fruit flavors and toasted oak and smoke on the nose . It is soft on the palate and mouth filling with good intensity of ripe fruit flavors, and concentrated with a long finish. ”
International Wine Review
October 2017
“A plush and focused red, filled with creamy cherry, plum and currant flavors that are supported by cilky tannins. The elegant finish is rich and persistent with notes of chocolate and savory spice that linger with velvety accents. Drink now through 2021.”
Kim Marcus
Wine Spectator
September 2017
“A savory, slightly herbal nose with underlying dark red pomegranate fruit. This Pinot has a silky mouth feel, intensely flavored with layers of red and black fruit. Very dense, slightly earthy and dry on the palate. finishes long.”
International Wine Review
The La Rinconada Vineyard
Planted in 1997, La Rinconada sits adjacent to the famed Sanford & Benedict Vineyard, the cornerstone of the Sta. Rita Hills appellation in Santa Barbara County. The same soil and climate conditions that make Sanford & Benedict an ideal spot for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay exist in the neighboring La Rinconada Vineyard.
The vineyard is made up of 11 acres of Pinot Noir and 9 acres of Chardonnay. Testarossa has been making both since 2012.