Sipping Fine Wine

9.2

Pale lemon color with aromas of stone fruits and blossom and spice, fruit from the Martinelli Charles Ranch, two miles in from the Pacific, aged for 12 months in 25% new oak. On the palate flavors of apple and pear with a touch of zesty lemon, crisp, with nitty vanilla notes. Nice mouthfeel, vivid acidity, medium+ finish ending with fruit, vanilla and citrus mineral character. Nice! — 6 months ago

Mitali P

9.3

Excellent Pinot! Creamy but dry, dark fruit. Lovely finish — 2 years ago

Bridget Meagher

9.0

Winebow made on west side of Hwy 1 cool night hot days closer to Pacific so ripe wine 39.99-36.67 — 3 years ago

Joe Monaghan

9.5

A really great taste and good balance of acidity and taste. — 5 years ago

Pablo Cetlinski

10

One of few wineries that have the grape in California. Breaths the Pacific breeze and is growing on the soil sanctified by Russian Orthodox chapel. — 5 years ago

Severn G

9.4

Nose has cedar-y blueberry-blackberry jam, crushed raspberry, newly paved highway, light metallic undertones with minor alcohol heat.

Palate has blackberry jam, white pepper, dried blueberry, blueberry sauce and big chalky tannins. Massive structure, no doubt, this wine needs another 10+ minimum. Yet, delicious tonight. 5h decant. — 6 years ago

Al Shikoh

9.0

medium golden yellow; muted, lemon zest, wet stone; saline, stone fruit; medium bodied, good acid backbone, 14.1% ABV; sourced from vineyard on bluff 5 miles from Pacific Ocean, whole cluster pressed and fermented in seasoned French oak, made by owner/winemaker Kurt Beitler, grandson of Charlie Wagner and nephew of Chuck Wagner co-founders of Caymus Vineyards; $45 — 7 years ago

Freddy R. Troya

8.9

Cambria Estate Winery — Julia’s Vineyard Pinot Noir 2021 — Santa Maria Valley, Santa Barbara County, California. United States 🇺🇸

Overview:
An estate-grown Pinot Noir crafted entirely from estate fruit at Cambria’s Julia’s Vineyard, delivering a fresh, approachable expression of cool-climate California Pinot with bright fruit purity and everyday elegance.

Aromas & Flavors:
Red plum, strawberry, cranberry, cherry compote, hints of sage, lavender, rose petal, and light leather.

Mouthfeel:
Medium-bodied with smooth tannins, lively acidity, and gentle spice through the finish. Bright red fruit keeps the palate energetic and easy-drinking while maintaining enough structure to feel polished.

Food Pairings:
Roast chicken, salmon, mushroom pasta, grilled vegetables, pizza with prosciutto or mushrooms, soft cheeses.

Personal Pick:
This is my kind of reliable weeknight Pinot — easy to love, versatile at the table, and always satisfying without demanding too much attention. A bottle I happily keep in regular rotation.

Verdict:
A charming, estate-driven Pinot Noir offering freshness, balance, and excellent everyday value. Perfect for casual dinners and relaxed enjoyment.

🍷 Did You Know?:
Santa Maria Valley’s east–west orientation funnels cool Pacific winds deep into the valley, extending hang time and preserving natural acidity — a key reason the region excels with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. — a year ago

Scott E. Becker

9.2

[Tasted on November 3, 2023 at Home]

The Kite’s Rest estate vineyard is located in Anderson Valley, 10 miles from the Pacific Ocean. Cherry and dried red currant, with licorice, smoke, stony minerality and spice. — 3 years ago

Anna Sangiacomo

9.4

Two Miles from the Pacific Ocean with an elevation of 1500 feet. This is one of the most elegant wines of the three different sites.  Rose petals, crushed raspberry, wild strawberry.  — 4 years ago

Vanessa

9.1

Sandhi, Sanford & Benedict, Sta. Rita Hills, Pinot Noir, 2016, ABV 13.5%.

This Pinot Noir comes from the Sta. Rita Hills AVA of Santa Barbara County in the Central Coast region of California. Despite California having generally a Mediterranean climate, due to its westerly location, Sta. Rita Hills AVA receives cooling maritime and fog influences from the Pacific Ocean, aiding in the preservation of acidity, lending balance, finesse, and elegance to the resulting wine.

This wine is medium ruby with a medium(+) intensity of youthful aromas. The aromas include primary notes of candied cherry, strawberry rhubarb, orange peel, violet, tulip, mint, wet stone, white pepper, secondary notes of nutmeg, and tertiary notes of earth and wet leaves.

On the palate this wine is dry, with medium(+) acidity, a medium body, medium alcohol, delicate tannin, and medium(+) intensity in flavors consistent with the nose. This wine has a medium(+) finish.

This is a beautiful wine with a strong fruit character and expression. It is well-balanced and offers concentrated aromatics and flavors and nice complexity. — 5 years ago

with Deked1

Naoki Otani

9.0

12.26.2019 — 6 years ago

Al Shikoh

8.9

medium ruby, amber rim; red cherry, leather; sour cherry; light bodied, light tannins, high acidity, 13.1% ABV; sourced from a ridge only 4 miles away from the Pacific Ocean; opened up and drank better on the second day; $49 — 7 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.0

Last bottle, had a bottle about a year ago, aged nicely. Their vineyard is a few miles away from the Pacific Ocean and aged, in French Oak, about 1/3 new, deep ruby with black fruit aromas and earthy floral spice notes. On the palate, soft raspberry, black cherry and blueberry flavors, rich and complex with integrated spice and oak. Smooth tannins with good balance of juicy acidity still has room to age. Lingering mineral finish, an outstanding wine. A real pleasure, wish I had more! — 7 years ago

Vanessa

9.3

“La Côte” of Domaine de la Côte is a DREAMY Pinot Noir from the Santa Rita Hills AVA of California’s Central Coast region.

Here pacific coastal breezes stretch inland and cool the sun-soaked vineyards. Domaine de la Côte has a collection of 6 vineyards on the western edge of Santa Rita Hills. On the back label you see a map of several of their vineyard blocks, including “La Côte” which is organically-farmed and nestled on a steep southeast-facing slope, where it absorbs the radiant sun during the growing season.

The grapes that went into this wine were harvested by hand, cluster-by-cluster, affording a gentler handling of the fruit with reduced risk of oxidation and microbial spoilage.

This wine was then fermented in a concrete vessel using 100% whole clusters (stems and all) thanks to the process of wild, ambient yeasts in the vineyard, winery, and on the skin of the berries…

The result is a positively perfumed and pristine berry-fruited profile with concentrated notes of black cherry, strawberry, raspberry, boysenberry, hibiscus, rosewater, cherry blossom, and anise balanced by a firm backbone of acidity and reserved alcoholic profile (13.1% ABV).

Following fermentation, this wine matured for 10 months in oak (30% new oak), lending delicate secondary notes of vanilla, clove, and cardamom.

The Domaine de la Côte “Bloom’s Field” was among the wines featured in the Somm 3 movie; it was blind tasted next to other French and California wines in a 2018 retake of the 1976 Judgement of Paris that culminated in a tasting of wines by a panel of luminaries of the wine world: Fred Dame, Jancis Robinson, and the late, great Steven Spurrier, who organized the Judgment of Paris back in 1976.

It is a captivating wine and has the structure to age, though we are loving it in its current state. It’s a delicious pairing with the herb-crusted salmon, roasted asparagus, and crème fraiche / chive mashed potatoes.

Cheers!

— 2 years ago

with Deked1

Al Shikoh

9.3

dark ruby purple; raspberry, rhubarb, sarsaparilla, mushrooms, pine needles, lavender, cedar: full bodied, surprisingly structured, good acidity despite ripeness, 14.6% ABV; made from 100% Pinot Noir by winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown, sourced from estate vineyard just a few miles from Pacific Ocean, aged in 33% new French oak from multiple coopers; $75 — 3 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.2

Situated at top of Kings Ridge Road along Sonoma Coast, overlooks Pacific at 2000 feet elevation. Ruby with aromas of tangy red fruit aromas, floral and toasty oak spice notes. On the palate a rich full flavor of strawberry and black cherry with exotic spice, earthy oak and firm chalky tannins. Lively acidity gives the wine good balance and carries through the finish with fruit and earthy mineral character ending with subtle notes of cacao. Very Nice! — 5 years ago

Jonas Johansson

9.0

Some how I keep on pouring my glass with this one. Will buy more. — 6 years ago

Chris Koupal

9.5

Fantastic- absolutely everything you want in a Sonoma county Pinot. — 6 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.2

My last bottle! From a hillside vineyard on an eastern slope on the second ridge from the Pacific Ocean. Deep Ruby with subtle aromas of red fruits and peppery spices, aging softened the aromas a bit. The palate shows raspberry and cherry with flavorful spices. Vivid acidity with super soft tannins with an earthy feel. Lingering finish with ripe oaky notes, minerality and earthy tones. Aged well, drink now! Very nice! — 7 years ago