Sta. Rita Hills
$40 (Wine Club Reorder Price: $35)
Chris Carter was born to be a winemaker. Wine isn’t his second career. It’s not his hobby. He didn’t make money in tech or as a hedge fund investor. Winemaking is what he was meant to do. It’s his profession. He went to UC Davis at age eighteen to study wine and grapes and his only jobs have been in vineyards, labs and cellars. What is in the bottle is the result of years of work and when you crack open this bottle of Pinot, we think you’ll be able to appreciate that.
His grandfather, father, and uncles are all aviators so he too became a pilot. Winemaking, like flying, requires detail and precision, but instincts to handle the unexpected. Chris combined his love for wine with his passion for flying and traveled the world, from New Zealand to Oregon to Chile to Tasmania, learning how to make the best Pinot Noir possible. He says, “Flying taught me to read the weather. Farming taught me to plan for the weather.”
This Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir is mostly from John Sebastiano Vineyard, which is highly acclaimed for its top of the line Pinots. It’s really an amazing value at only $40 (think $60+ for other John Sebastiano Pinot Noirs).
A mouthful of character is what this is. Deep and brooding, yet lifted and delicate. Dark cherry and bramble with an incredible umami character filling out the mid-palate. Incredibly smooth. Only 350 cases were produced. We recommend pairing this pinot with a wild mushroom risotto.
“This easy-to-drink appellation blend, which is 88% from John Sebastiano Vineyard and 12% from La Encantada, shows lively raspberry and pomegranate on the nose along with hibiscus flowers, rose petal, sweet sage and light pine forest aromas. It’s lightweight on the palate, yet there is viscosity to the sip, where pomegranate-cranberry flavors meet with dried bergamot and Earl Grey tea. Simultaneously juicy and tart.“
– 92 Points, Wine Enthusiast
Taylor Morgan – August 2021
Bacchus & Venus Wines 