Savoring Santa Barbara, Plus Tasmania’s Cool-Weather Wines: Weekly Tasting Report (Nov 6-12)

Executive Editor Jim Gordon motored about 250 miles (400 kilometers) south from his home in Napa Valley this past week to Santa Barbara wine country, where he tasted dozens of wines each day, tramping through vineyards where the harvest was still wrapping up and talking with winemakers and producers from Santa Ynez Valley, Santa Rita Hills and the other AVAs of Santa Barbara County.

For someone who began tasting Santa Barbara wines almost 40 years ago, it was an eye-opening reminder of just how diverse this wine region in Southern California really is, and how much it continues to evolve.

Pinot noir, syrah and chardonnay compete for attention here, with pinot having the highest profile, yet Santa Barbara County is in the scrum of top-quality syrahs in the state as well – no disrespect to Paso Robles or the Sierra Foothills.

The tasting notes below are laced with nervy, racy pinot noirs and chardonnays from the coolest parts of the Santa Rita Hills, which are fanned by chilly breezes from the Pacific Ocean even on summer nights. The top syrahs, meanwhile, vary in style from rich to lean, but their overall direction is toward lower ripeness and more nervy, savory characters.

The pinots and chardonnays from the sibling wineries Domaine de la Cote and Sandhi – both run by Sashi Moorman and Rajat Parr – accounted for three of the top five wines in this report.

Jim gave his highest score to 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 are 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.

The Hilt Estate made two of the 14 Santa Rita Hills pinots that scored higher than 95, and Alma Rosa, Samsara and Brewer Clifton also made some terrific pinots.

The Hilt Estate's Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills Radian Vineyard 2022, is rocky and minerally in character, with light, chewy tannins embracing crisp cranberry, red cherry and raspberry flavors.

Winemaker Matt Dees said the 2022 growing season was challenging, especially due to the extended heat wave that swelled temperatures to extremes in early September. “The yields could be hit or miss,” Dees said. “How do you deal with vines that shut down from the heat?  The vines that ripened early were great, though.”

Using a baseball analogy, he said, “I feel like we batted .650 in 2022 and got wines with charm and warmth from ripe fruit.” For those not familiar with baseball, batting .650 is a nearly impossible task, which is to say the 2022 vintage turned out far above expectations.

Radian Vineyard is one of several Santa Barbara properties owned by the same firm that owns The Hilt, Jonata and, in Napa Valley, Screaming Eagle. Alma Rosa, Samsara and others buy pinot noir and chardonnay from this sloping, elevated site, which produces very concentrated flavors. The Alma Rosa Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills Radian 2022 boasts vivid red and black fruits, orange zest and cinnamon flavors. It's fresh, crunchy, linear and alive. The Samsara Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills Radian Vineyard 2022, meanwhile, was made with half whole clusters, the stems of which enhance the earthy, savory nuances, said winemaker Matt Brady.

Santa Barbara County chardonnay is grown mainly in the Santa Rita Hills and the warmer Santa Maria Valley, where more full-bodied and ripe-tasting wines can be found, like the Cambria Chardonnay Santa Maria Valley Katherine’s Vineyard 2022, which shows a toasty, flinty and nervy nose before a ripe, buttery palate delivers warm richness and length.

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 Matt Dees, the winemaker for Jonata as well as The Hilt.

Sharing that opinion are owner Pete Stolpman and vineyard manager Ruben Solarzano of Stolpman Vineyard. They are die-hard proponents of a Northern Rhone approach to syrah on their Ballard Canyon, Santa Ynez Valley ranch. They capitalize on largely own-rooted vines planted extremely close together on limestone-based hillsides to craft peppery, smoky wines.

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.

More grape varieties and appellations of Santa Barbara County are represented in the tasting notes below, notably some structured cabernet sauvignons from Crown Point, and others including red Rhone-style blends, sauvignon blanc, chenin blanc and sangiovese.

TASMANIA'S COOL-WEATHER WINES

Associate Editor Ryan Montgomery was in Australia's premier cool-climate wine region, Tasmania, over the past week, visiting producers who are crafting some exceptional pinot noirs, chardonnays and sparkling wines. Ryan mostly tasted offerings from the 2021, 2022 and 2023 vintages, which were all influenced to varying degrees by La Niña weather pattern. This resulted in cooler, wetter and longer ripening periods Tasmania's vineyards, particularly in the Coal River Valley, the Huon Valley and the Derwent River area.

One producer in the Coal River Valley, Pooley Wines, took full advantage of the cooler conditions. Their meticulous vineyard management and minimal intervention in the winery produced wines that reflect the purity and character of Tasmania. Their Pooley Riesling Tasmania Margaret Pooley Tribute 2022 features bold and striking aromas of flint, lemon peel, gunsmoke and crushed river stones, and the palate showcases high tension and electric acidity.

Another Coal River Valley winery, Tolpuddle, brings a level of finesse and meticulous care to its pinot noirs and chardonnays. This is most evident in their newly released Tolpuddle Chardonnay Tasmania 2023, which showcases refined and polished aromas of flint, stone fruits, lemon curd, and beeswax. The palate reveals remarkable poise and balance, underpinned by a precise tension that comes from a laser-like acidity.

Stefano Lubiana Wines, established in 1990 by fifth-generation winemaker Stefano Lubiana and his wife, Monique, is one of Tasmania’s pioneering family-owned wineries. Located in the Derwent Valley, just outside Hobart, the vineyard was founded with a vision to produce premium cool-climate wines while committing itself to biodynamic practices, achieving full certification in 2013.

This dedication comes through clearly in the Stefano Lubiana Pinot Noir Tasmania La Roccia 2022, which offers pure and lifted aromas of dark cherry, forest floor, and wild raspberries, complemented by tightly wound acidity and finely integrated tannins, culminating in a nearly perfect Australian pinot noir with an Old World charm.

Marco Lubiana, whose passion for white Burgundy runs deep, produces his own label from the family’s estate vineyards. His exceptional and sophisticated Marco Lubiana Chardonnay Derwent Valley One Terroir 2023 presents reductive and mineral-driven aromas of flint, confit lemon peel, sea spray, and tangerine, with a tightly wound palate featuring a creamy texture and precise acidity.

Burgundian-focused producers Jim Chatto and his wife, Daisy, who chose Tasmania for its cool climate and ideal conditions for growing pinot noir when they established Chatto in the Huon Valley in 2007, maintain a small, family-run operation focused on quality over quantity, and they continue to stand out among Tasmanian producers. Their Chatto Pinot Noir Huon Valley Isle 2023 has wonderful aromatic notes of blackberries, potpourri, orange peel, wet bark and lavender on the nose, and the palate integrates seamless tannins and a creamy mouthfeel. The result is a reductive and complex wine to be taken seriously after decanting.

PIEVE SNEAK PREVIEW

Senior Editor Aldo Fiordelli attended a special tasting of the new wines bearing the "Pieve" classification, which is set to become an additional geographic unit, or UGA, for Montepulciano, Italy, in early 2025.

Pieve wines can only be made from indigenous grapes, predominantly sangiovese (at least 85 percent of any wine) with the rest canaiolo, ciliegiolo, mammol, and colorino (with the latter limited to a maximum of 5 percent). The wines must come from vineyards of at least 15 years old and must age for at least three years in the cellar, including a minimum of 12 months in barrels.

The Pieve classification allows for a deeper understanding of Montepulciano’s marine origin and distinct geological attributes, and reflects the varying calcareous, sandy and clay nature of the vineyards. The wines, Aldo said, already show a stylistic clarity and consistency, thanks to the sunny, powerful and balanced 2021 vintage, which will be the first to be bottled under the Pieve label.

One of the top wines of the tasting was the Boscarelli Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Costa Grande 2021, which comes from a cru in the new appellation with a northeastern exposure. It’s a very fresh and deep wine, austere but not without elegance. Another standout was Le Bertille Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Pieve San Biagio 2021. One of the wines that best reflects the calcareous nature of the soil in the San Biagio area, it is poised to represent a true gem of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano because of its layered red fruit notes, minerality and finely tuned tannins.

– Jim Gordon, Ryan Mongomery and Aldo Fiordelli contributed reporting.

The list of wines below is comprised of bottles tasted and rated during the past week by James Suckling and the other tasters at JamesSuckling.com. They include many latest releases not yet available on the market, but which will be available soon. Some will be included in upcoming tasting reports.

Note: You can sort the wines below by country, vintage, score and alphabetically by winery name. You can also search for specific wines in the search bar.