Santa Barbara Annual Tasting Report: Pure Pinot Magic and The Mother of All Syrah

241 TASTING NOTES
Friday, Jan 24, 2025

A view of the post-harvest vineyards in the Santa Rita Hills from the Alma Rosa winery's El Jabali Vineyard.

It’s easy to get distracted by the diversity of grape varieties and wine styles while tasting wines and interviewing winemakers in California’s Santa Barbara County. In this beautiful, diverse Pacific Coast region you’ll find peppery, meaty syrah, nervy chardonnay, mouth-watering sauvignon blanc and elegant cabernet sauvignon.

But there’s no getting around the fact that pinot noir is this ocean-adjacent region’s biggest star. Of the 240 wines we tasted for this annual report, 87 were pinot noir. Sixteen of those earned scores of 96 points and higher, which is an amazingly high proportion. Subscribers can view all the scores and tasting notes listed below this article.

Many of the most remarkable, elegant wines came from the vineyard district that’s nearest the surf, Santa Rita Hills. Here, what the locals call “cold sunshine” consists of just the right combination of southern California rays and chilly onshore wind that is pure magic for high quality in the thin-skinned red grape of Burgundy.

In fact, the cool Pacific breezes affect the varying microclimates across Santa Barbara County as a whole, streaming in from the west and flowing eastward along the north side of the Santa Ynez Mountains.

Winds blow through the Santa Rita Hills first, as it is the westernmost section of the Santa Ynez Valley American Viticultural Area, then continue east into the valley and its sub-districts that warm up step by step with more distance from the ocean and rising altitude. Ballard Canyon leads to Los Olivos District, which leads to Happy Canyon in the most eastern and warmest corner of the wine-growing areas.

The Santa Maria Valley sits apart and north of the Santa Ynez Valley in a different geographic situation. It crosses partway into San Luis Obispo County.

Alma Rosa winemaker Samra Morris (left) and founder Richard Sanford, the modern-day Santa Barbara County wine pioneer.

PINOT PIONEER

Starting this report with the Santa Rita Hills, one person who was instrumental in proving the district’s potential for pinot noir and chardonnay is Richard Sanford. In 1971 he cofounded the first pinot noir vineyard in the Santa Rita Hills, Sanford & Benedict. At the time, the few existing vineyards in the county were located 15 miles (22 kilometers) farther inland where the microclimate was warmer, so planting in the Santa Rita Hills was seen by some as a risky venture.

The latest offerings of Alma Rosa include the highly rated Alma Rosa Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills Radian 2022 and Alma Rosa Syrah Santa Rita Hills El Jabali 2022.

Sanford went on to make outstanding pinot noir from this vineyard, and his Sanford Winery helped put Santa Barbara County on the map. When James Suckling and I first started tasting and reporting on wine in the 1980s, Sanford pinot noir was already on wine lists around California and many of the other big U.S. wine markets.

Sanford and his wife, Tekla, later went on to found the Alma Rosa Winery, and now at age 83, Sanford continues to preach the gospel of the Santa Rita Hills on behalf of Alma Rosa. He lives on the vineyard property, named El Jabali, while current winemaker Samra Morris crafts pinot so brilliant that two of the Alma Rosa wines are among the top 10 Santa Rita Hills wines in this report.

The Alma Rosa Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills Radian 2022 comes from a notable single vineyard nearby. It’s a structured, vivid wine that tastes alive in black cherries, rosemary and star anise flavors. Just as remarkable but with a more creamy, supple texture and mouth-filling, opulent fruit flavors is the Alma Rosa Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills Elevado 2022.

Domaine de la Cote pinot noirs from 2023 earned the highest scores in this report. These are released ahead of many wineries’ 2023s.

Another of Alma Rosa’s beautiful 2022s comes from a hilltop vineyard on the estate that was planted in an unusual, eye-catching pattern. Rows emanate out and down in all directions from a hub on the hilltop, increasing in length as they circle around. The visual effect is like a snail shell (or “caracol” in Spanish) when viewed from the air. The Alma Rosa Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills Caracol 2022 is vivid in raspberries, orange peel and firm tannins.

The two absolutely highest-rated wines in this report come from another Santa Rita Hills winery, Domaine de la Cote, which was created by chef-turned winemaker Sashi Moorman and Rajat Parr, a former sommelier. One is the Domaine de la Cote Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills Sous le Chene 2023. Standing next to the actual “chene” mentioned on the label – an old, spreading oak tree – Moorman explained how the varied soils on this steep hillside were the result of long-ago geological upheavals.

The Sous le Chene gives aromas of rosemary, sage and pure black cherries, then on the palate blackcurrants, ethereal minerals and complex savory elements. It’s so different from the average California pinot that grows in more fertile soil and in warmer conditions. It’s challenging, edgy and brilliant.

Challenging, because the wine is light-bodied, tight in acidity and firm in tannin. Moorman makes this one and the super savory, stony Domaine de la Côte Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills La Côte 2023 using all whole clusters in the fermentation, letting the tannin and woodsy, mushroomy flavors from the stems steep into the wine until it’s ready to press.

Winemaker Sashi Moorman of Domaine de la Cote winery at his steep, low-yielding vineyard in the Santa Rita Hills.

We should underline that these are 2023s, while a majority of the other pinots in the report are from 2022. The vintage conditions were quite different all up and down the coastal counties of California. 2022 saw an alarming heatwave at harvest time, while 2023 was cool and steady from the beginning and ended late.

In 2022 the growing season in Santa Barbara began with little or no rain from January on, then cool and windy weather dominated through the bloom period in spring, resulting in “shatter” – an interference in the pollination process that limits the number of grapes per cluster and thus sets up low yields at harvest. Continuing cool weather in spring and early summer meant it would be a late-ripening year.

In the first week of September, as harvest was underway, a “heat dome” formed over most of the California coast, bringing several days of high temperatures exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) and reaching 115 in some locales. That kind of blistering heat, especially for an extended period, subjects grapes to sunburn, raisining and even complete desiccation. It stuns a grapevine’s physiology, which in turns halts the ripening of the grapes.

Winemakers told me that some Santa Rita Hills pinot noir had not made it through veraison at that time, so the grapes were not fully colored, remained unripe and tough-skinned and were thus less susceptible to damage.

Though temporarily crippled by the heat, vines like this were able to hunker down and eventually finish ripening their grapes after the danger passed. The worst situation was having fully ripe grapes hanging on the vine when the drastic heat arrived, and no time to harvest them before they suffered.

Winemaker Matt Dees of Jonata and The Hilt wineries harvested his Santa Rita Hills pinot noir from Sept. 8 to Sept. 20, after the heat subsided. His wines and so many others taste really good, showing that talented growers and winemakers found their way through the crisis. “I feel like we batted .650 in 2022 and got wines with charm and warmth from ripe fruit,” he said, using a baseball analogy for an improbably high batting average.

2023 was a breeze in comparison. With ample winter rains having soaked the vineyards, the vines’ growth began slowly, coolly and moved along at a snail’s pace. So slowly, in fact, that some winemakers worried the harvest would be delayed into the rainy season that often begins in November.

 READ MORE JAMESSUCKLING INTERVIEWS: MATT DEES

This mineral-driven sauvignon blanc from Jonata shows that not all of the stars in Santa Barbara are chardonnay and pinot noir.

But a short, moderate heat spell occurred over the first weekend in September and brought some welcome warmth for ripening but caused no great rush. Most winemakers had time to pace their harvest dates, and the grapes retained great acidity and freshness.

Excellent 2023 pinots released so far by Sandhi, Melville, Longoria, Lincourt and others give an upbeat preview of how good the year will be – potentially better than 2022 on average across Santa Barbara.

As for chardonnay, the other Burgundy native, we tasted 49 Santa Barbara bottlings, finding 11 outstanding 90-point-plus examples from the Santa Maria Valley alone that generally show a sunny ripeness, with citrus and tropical fruits and often generous butter and oak spices.

The Caracol block in El Jabali Vineyard in Santa Rita Hills was planted in an unusual, eye-catching pattern.

Two Santa Maria chardonnays from Solomon Hills winery rose to the top in our ratings, but for their racy, mineral and slightly reductive expressions.

Many of these are more reasonably priced than those from Santa Rita Hills, and one wine with the broad Santa Barbara appellation on the label was a particular bargain. The Diatom Chardonnay Santa Barbara County 2023 from Greg Brewer of Brewer-Clifton winery earned a score that’s well into the 90s and costs only $25. Plus it’s in good supply, with 40,000 cases made.

One of Brewer’s new wines was also in the top ranks of Santa Rita Hills chards. The Brewer-Clifton Chardonnay Santa Rita Hills 3-D 2022 is mineral-laden and crunchy, made from a singular section of the 3-D Vineyard planted with Wente and Mt. Eden clone vines.

Executive Editor Jim Gordon (center), tasted with Brewer-Clifton winemaker Greg Brewer (right) and his assistant winemaker, Sharde Shepherd. The wall of wine in back of them documents every vintage and bottling that the Lompoc, California, winery has ever made.
Winemaker Matt Brady of Samsara pours a red here, but says, chardonnay “is the best grape to convey the Santa Rita Hills character."

No less than six chardonnays from Sandhi scored 95 and above, a great example being the Sandhi Chardonnay Santa Rita Hills Romance 2022, which combines chalky, saline aromas and creamy, poached pear flavors.

Winemaker Matt Brady of Samsara is no slouch with chardonnay, either. “I think it is the best grape to convey the Santa Rita Hills character,” he said. “It shows the minerality and freshness especially well.”

The Samsara Chardonnay Santa Rita Hills Bentrock Vineyard 2022 exemplifies this in its silky, sleek texture and mineral, guava and lime pith flavors coaxed out at a low 12.9 percent alcohol level.

Left: Crown Point fashions firm and age-worthy Bordeaux-style wines in the warmest district of Santa Barbara County wine country, Happy Canyon. | Right: Crown Point winemaker Simon Faury (left) with estate director A. J. Fairbanks.

He ferments and ages it in only used, neutral-flavored French barrels. He keeps all the lees in the barrels, stirs them through fermentation, then guides each one through malolactic fermentation. “We want the wines to be acid-driven but not be simply some lean, wimpy wines,” he said.

Moving inland along the east-west corridor that is unusual in California, we enter the Santa Ynez Valley and find grape varieties suited to its warmer, sunnier, less windy climate. Some quite respectable, even excellent cabernet sauvignons come from the Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara and Los Olivos districts here.

Look for outstanding 2021 cabs from Crown Point, Jonata and Brander to mention a few. Crowne Point winemaker Simon Faury is crafting intense, structured and laser-focused cabernets from estate grapes grown on volcanic soil at 1,000 feet (300 meters) elevation. “The 2021s show a certain classicism and a strong cabernet personality with a bit more savoriness than some years," Faury said.

Pete Stolpman explains the northern Rhone approach he takes in his syrah vineyards.

SYRAH SETTLES IN

Syrah is another grape that found a great home in Santa Barbara. We tasted 36 of them and only two earned scores of less than 90 points.

Syrah has evolved perhaps even more than pinot noir in recent years, from an often jammy, high-alcohol style that almost tracked Australian shiraz back in the day, to a more wild, earthy, meaty style of wine with more sinew than fat.

“To me, syrah is the best when you’re afraid it’s going to crawl out of the glass and run across the table,” said Dees, the winemaker for Jonata and The Hilt.

Sharing that opinion are owner Pete Stolpman and vineyard manager Ruben Solorzano of Stolpman Vineyards. They are die-hard proponents of a northern Rhone approach to syrah on the Ballard Canyon, Santa Ynez Valley ranch. They capitalize on vines planted on low-fertility, limestone-based soil to craft peppery, smoky syrah, plus grenache, roussanne and several others.

All seven of the estate-grown Stolpman syrahs stood out. A stellar example is the Stolpman Syrah Ballard Canyon The Great Places August James Stolpman 2022. It embraces a drastic contrast between turned-earth aromas and gamey beef crudo flavors on the one hand and an elegant, smooth and sleek texture on the other.

Stolpman’s hilly, rugged, 175-acre estate vineyard is covered with ungrafted, own-rooted vines on about half of those acres, and vines grafted to pest-resistant rootstock on the other half. Pete Stolpman’s approach to vine-growing is heavily influenced by his love and respect for northern Rhone syrahs, especially those of Domaine August Clape Reynard in Cornas.

One hillside section of the vineyard swarms with wild-looking, tangled syrah vines holding many tiny clusters scattered throughout the brushy canopy. I hiked up the hill into the dense thicket of vines with Stolpman and Solorzano to find the mother vine. This was a scene I’ve never seen before.

The mother vine is one individual plant, not grafted, which originated as a cutting from Clape’s vineyard in France. The cutting – a one-year-old cane or stick with buds on it – over several years has now populated the hillside, with more than 1,000 offspring vines via the technique of layering.

The mother vine in Stolpman Vineyard doesn’t look like much, but it spawned a whole experimental block of 1,000 offspring syrah vines that are own-rooted.
Left: Ruben Solorzano is much in demand as a vineyard manager in Santa Barbara County. | Right: A tiny, leftover cluster of second-crop syrah that Solorzano tends to at Stolpman.

Long canes from the mother vine as it grew were drawn down to the ground and buried. The buried part of the cane then grew its own roots and sent up shoots to start a copy of the mother vine at that spot while staying connected to it underground. That new plant, in turn, was layered later to create even more vines and the spread became exponential.

Stolpman plans to make a wine only from this block by 2027. So far these grapes have gone into other bottlings, specifically the Great Places August James syrah.

Using grapes from other sites in the region and with varying methods, numerous other highly rated syrahs were made by Copia, Ledge, Piedrasassi, Samsara, Alma Rosa, The Hilt and Melville, to mention a few.

Many more appellations and grape varieties of Santa Barbara County in addition to these are represented in the tasting notes below, including red Rhone-style blends, sauvignon blanc, chenin blanc and sangiovese.

– Jim Gordon, Executive Editor

The list of wines below is comprised of bottles tasted and rated in 2024 by James Suckling and the other tasters at JamesSuckling.com. You can sort the wines below by vintage, score and alphabetically by winery name. You can also search for specific wines in the search bar.

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