Joel Gott Santa Barbara Pinot Noir

Varietal

100% Pinot Noir

Appellation

Santa Barbara

Barrel

33% New French Oak
67% 1 & 2-Year-Old French Oak

We source fruit for this wine from Santa Barbara, within the Central Coast AVA, because of its ideal conditions for growing elegant Pinot Noir with nuanced flavors. Vineyards closest to the coast experience cool, foggy mornings and warmer afternoons, bringing out well-developed fruit flavors and balanced acidity in the grapes. Fruit from vineyards located more inland from the Sta. Rita Hills and Los Alamos Valley AVAs add spice and minerality to the wine. Sourcing from these varied regions helps to create an elegant, fruit-forward, and richly textured wine.

Across California in 2021, the growing season was long and even, with a dry winter and mild spring temperatures. A warm summer with no heat spikes was followed by mild temperatures in the fall, allowing us to pick our fruit in August. These conditions produced smaller, more concentrated fruit clusters resulting in great flavor and acidity making for a complex and well-balanced wine.

After harvest, the wine was fermented in open-top fermenters and punched down twice daily. This gentler and more traditional form of cap management helps to retain the soft tannin structure of Pinot Noir. The wine was then aged in 33% new French oak and 67% 1 & 2-year-old French oak for 8 months.