This is always a top-flight offering, and as I look back at my reviews going back to the 2012 vintage, I see a very consistent wine with a range of red fruit aromatics and flavors, with signature terroir notes of damp earth minerality. That particular earth note is in the background this vintage, where it offsets the strawberry and cherry fruit beautifully. Easy oak spice rounds things out, and the tension between the silky texture and the lively acidity keeps pushing flavor through a long, seductive finish. It’s another standout that’s delicious now and will age gracefully for the next ten years.
Sea Smoke, Sta. Rita Hills (Santa Barbara County, California) Pinot Noir 2018
By Rich Cook