2024 John Sebastiano Vineyard Pinot Noir
2024 John Sebastiano Vineyard Pinot Noir
Description
A surprisingly delicate Pinot coming from a vineyard known for powerful Syrahs. Rich aromas of hibiscus, cherries and fresh sage come spilling out of the glass. The pallet is smooth and silky with a perfect balance of acidity and tannins. The flavors remind us of tart cherries and wild strawberries, framed by tangy minerality. This wine will be an excellent pairing for fall fare like grilled duck breast with roasted root vegetables.Vineyard Notes
John Sebastiano Vineyard, located at the eastern end of Sta. Rita Hills, is planted on steep hillsides with fine clay loam soils. The vines struggle to ripen in the cool westerly marine winds, resulting in great concentration and dramatic aromas and flavors. The grapes for this wine came from block 20A planted to the Pommard clone.Production Notes
Despite the ample winter rains clearing salts from the soil and replenishing ground water, yields were low due to cold and windy weather at bud initiation about 16 months prior to this year’s harvest. While low yields are difficult for our growers, this leads to higher quality with advanced phenolic maturity and moderate sugar development. A five-day post Labor Day heat event which raised temperatures into the nineties in the Sta. Rita Hills quickly pushed some blocks to harvest ripeness. Grapes were harvested on September 25th.Winemaker Notes
Pinot Noir clusters for this wine were hand sorted before being de-stemmed and gravity fed to fermenters. The must was immediately chilled for a pre-fermentation cold soak where the most beneficial extraction of color, aroma and flavor occurs. The wine aged on its lees for 10 months in French oak with 13% new barrels. The wine was bottled unfined and unfiltered on August 14th, 2025.| Vintage | 2024 |
|---|---|
| Wine Style | Red Wine |
| Varietal | 100% Pinot Noir |
| Appellation | Sta. Rita Hills |
| Harvest Date | 9/25/24 |
| Acid | 6.1 g/l |
| PH | 3.39 |
| Bottling Date | 8/14/25 |
| Alcohol % | 13.4 |
| Size | 750 ml |