May 2007 Wine Tasting Notes:
2005 Carr Vineyards and Winery Pinot Noir, Three Vineyards, Sta. Rita Hills.
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This Pinot Noir is deep ruby garnet with excellent clarity. Heady for just a moment at first, the nose is built around medium intensity dark cherries and cola. Light aromas of raspberry are framed by vanilla. Pepper and earthy notes follow. On the palate, medium intensity flavors of tart raspberry and fleshy strawberry are followed by vanilla. High extraction, downy tannins and exciting, bright acids and a bit of heat make for a medium bodied wine. The mouthfeel is juicy and silky. The medium length finish is all about red berries: raspberry, strawberry and a hint of red currant. Vanilla notes and some heat are present. |
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Cumulative Score: 90 breakdown 14 % Alcohol $30.00 Retail (from winery); 445 cases produced |
Opulent, with great acidity, this 2005 3-vineyard blend is big without being clunky or heavy handed. A satisfying pairing of "hedonistic" extraction of bright, juicy and bouncy fruit with the acidity expected of a Pinot Noir. Along with the tannins, that gives this wine some longevity in the range of 5 to 7 more years. It should pair well with poultry, veal or lamb as well as mushroom or tomato-based concoctions. |
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More Carr Vineyards and Winery reviews. More on the Sta. Rita Hills AVA |
100% Pinot Noir, clones 113, 115, 777 and Pommard sourced from neighboring vineyards: Ashley's, Turner and Clos Pepe. Aged 12 months in French oak barrels.
A great business strategy and a fortuitous set of events positioned Ryan Carr, a new kid on the block, on the receiving end of the supply of some of the best fruit in the county – without having made any wine under his own label before OR owing any vineyards. He came to the Santa Ynez Valley from Arizona in 1998 to develop a ranch his family purchased. Through associations with Craig McMillan and Andy Kahn, went from making 10 cases of wine in his garage in 1999 to making wine for Carr Vineyards and Winery from grapes he himself grows – without the financial demands of owning land and developing a premiere vineyard. Ryan now manages over 100 acres of vineyard at 6 different properties in Santa Barbara County through his vineyard development and management company (Carr Vineyards). For his own label, Ryan focuses on cool-climate Pinot Noir from the Sta. Rita Hills AVA but also makes Pinot Gris, Cabernet Franc and Syrah from vineyards he manages producing 2,000 cases annually. With a new location in downtown Santa Barbara, Ryan is settling his sights on 4,500 cases.
Rolling gently over the foot of the La Purisima Hills on the north side of Highway 246, the 28-acre Clos Pepe vineyard is planted to 24 acres of Pinot Noir 4 acres of Chardonnay on well-draining sandy soils. According to winegrower, Wes Hagen, who oversaw the planting and development of the former horse ranch into a vineyard beginning in 1996, despite being located in the northern portion of the Sta. Rita Hills AVA (and farther from the ocean) the vineyard enjoys cooler temperatures than in the southern portion of the Sta. Rita Hills – which is closer to the ocean. Clos Pepe adheres to the spirit (but not necessarily the letter) of biodynamic and organic farming methods.
In 1998 Fess Parker began developing the 620 acre estate later to be called Ashley’s Vineyard. John Belfy (Buona Terra Farming) planted 150 acres of Pinot Noir, 15 acres of and Chardonnay, 13 acres to Pinot Blanc, 12 acres to Pinot Gris and 10 acres to Syrah between 1998 and 2000. The vineyard has become renown for elegant wines produced but, according to John Belfy, it is just beginning to show its potential. Varied terrain (ranging from valley to ridge elevations), light, well-draining sandy soils, as well as a cool growing climate result in elegance, richness and concentration. The vineyard was acquired in 2005 by John Zahoudanis for his Demetria Estates winery located in the Santa Ynez Valley and renamed “Gaia”. In 2007, Foley Estate Vineyards & Winery purchased the estate with 213 acres under Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vines. The bulk of the vineyard’s fruit is slated for Foley’s Lincourt winery although, significant allocations to other labels for years to come have been arranged. The Pinot Noir section of the vineyard will now be called Lindsay’s Vineyard and the Chardonnay section has been renamed Courtney’s Vineyard (after William Foley’s two daughters).
The 29-acre Turner Vineyard sits at the foot of the La Purisima Hills, on the North side of Highway 246, just behind Babcock Vineyard and winery. This northern section of the Sta. Rita Hills is a coveted area of the AVA with neighbors such as Babcock, Foley, Melville and Clos Pepe. The vineyard was planted and developed by Ryan Carr in 2000 to 15 acres of Pinot Noir, 3 acres of Pinot Gris and 3 acres of Syrah with the first harves coming in 2004. The south facing vineyard sits on varied terrain, including rolling hills (the slopes of which face north and south), valley floor and flat mesa. Predominantly sandy soils of the vineyard have areas of sand mixed with loam and shale. This vineyard enjoys the cool microclimate of the Sta. Rita Hills
Pinot Noir, the noble Burgundian grape, is often described as "difficult" to grow but the wine is beautiful and complex when circumstances are favorable. It is one of the oldest grape varieties to be vinified. The tiny (~60 square miles) Côte d'Or in Burgundy, France has been the benchmark for Pinot Noir for centuries. Nonetheless, it is planted worldwide. It is often described as delicate and light bodied and having a soft texture. The aromas and flavors are the most distinct and identifiable and most complex of all varieties. Common fruit aromas are: cherry, raspberry, ripe tomato and strawberry. It can express floral notes or rose or violet. Spice is a big element of Pinot Noir: cardamom, caraway, cinnamon, cola, clove, nutmeg, pepper, rosemary and sassafras. Most California Pinot Noirs made today (with some exceptions) rarely have the make up to last past a decade but with age they can show tobacco and smoke characteristics. (read more)
The 2005 year saw an increase in crops over the preceding years. The vintage is being compared to the acclaimed 1997 vintage because of a very long and generally cool growing season without heat spikes. This long season resulted in extended hang times in even temperatures which gave the fruit good extraction but generally lower sugar levels. The slow ripening of the fruit is expected to make for elegance and balance in the wines of this vintage.
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5 points |
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Nose |
3 points |
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Palate |
3 points |
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Finish |
3 points |
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Tannins |
5 points |
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Acidity |
5points |
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Alcohol |
4 points |
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Aging potential |
3 points |
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Overall quality |
9 points |
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