The Second Glass

Ok, so you’ve decided that you want something new from a bottle of wine. While that Mag of Yellow Tail got the job done in college before a night on the town, your palate is beginning to desire more. You’ve also started to realize that a bottle of wine should be judged on structure and expression and not how drunk it gets you. If you have been religiously reading the Second Glass and drinking our recommended wines, you’ve done minimal damage to your checking account, and might want to splurge on something unique.

It’s now time to break into the world of California cult Pinot Noir. You read correctly. I said cult Pinot, not cult Cab. The frontier of California winemaking has moved from Napa to the Santa Rita Hills in the western most section of the Santa Ynez Valley. Santa Rita Hills just earned it designation as an AVA in 2001, making it the newest appellation in Santa Barbara county. These wines are Burgundian in style, meaning 100% Pinot Noir with minimal new oak. However, they show more red fruit character than their cousins from the Cote d’Or of Burgundy, due to higher afternoon temperatures. The cool pacific breeze and morning fog that role in daily provide essential temperature shifts, a long growing season, and a slow ripening period that leads to a more developed and complex wine. The Santa Rita Hills are considered a microclimate due to the prevailing breeze and soil structure that gives its wines unmistakable characteristics. Without the close proximity to the ocean and the funnel effect of the valley, the fragile Pinot grapes would ripen too fast and be rendered useless.

Winemakers such as Greg Brewer and Bryan Babcock have harnessed this natural phenomenon and spearheaded the progression of Pinot from this unique region. They use grapes from cutting edge Pinot clones that minimize yield in order to maximize flavor structure and complexity. They also concentrate on single vineyard sites to truly express specific vineyard characteristics, known as terroir. This practice is used in the upper echelon of winemaking in Burgundy, and other premium French regions. The end result is a wine that tastes of red berry, black cherry and currant with spicy, herbal, and wildflower components. Some even say they can taste the Pacific Ocean spray beneath the more overt fruit flavors. Some labels not to be missed are Brewer-Clifton, Melville, and Babcock. All of these producers have multiple Pinot Noirs from specific sites that reflect the qualities of this small avant-garde appellation.

So next time your in need of a special occasion bottle, don’t look to the widely recognizable premium labels, look for something a little more one-of-a-kind being produced by the new generation of Cailifornia winemakers from one of the country’s most unique areas. You won’t be disappointed, but you also won’t be making any head way on that looming credit card debt.