2016 La Encantada Vineyard Pinot Noir
Santa Rita Hills AVA
Last Vintage: 2016
Tasting Notes
“Brick red hue. While a little shy at first, this Pinot Noir opens up nicely with scents of cranberry, roasted strawberry, papaya, and orange-zest. In the distant background there are hints of crème brulee and maple. Upon taste, these characters persist and are matched with brisk acidity and juicy tannins. This youthful wine shows complex layers and a dense finish. Decanting is recommended for immediate enjoyment. Enjoy now through 2025.”
~Bill Brosseau, Director of Winemaking
“Elegant, rich and full of concentrated dark cherry, currant and raspberry flavors that are finely woven and supported by vibrant acidity. The lilting finish shows rose petal and pastry notes. Drink now through 2024. 424 cases made.”
Kim Marcus
Wine Spectator
August 2018
Production Data
Growers: Grunau Family
Winemaker: Bill Brosseau
Appellation: Santa Lucia Highlands AVA
Barrel Ageing: 16 months
Cooperage: 100% French Oak, 57% new
Production: 16 barrels
Composition: 100% Pinot Noir
Acidity: 6.72 g/L – 3.31 pH
Alcohol: 14.2%
Harvest: September 8, 2016
Drink Now through 2025
Past Vintage Wine Scores
“A delicious, elegant wine, the Pinot Noir La Encantada is mouth filling rich and fruity. It is beautifully balanced and spicy with good intensity of dark cherry fruit flavor, nice purity and a long finish.”
International Wine Review
October 2017
“This deep and incisively varietal offering does an admirable job at being both rich and exceptionally well-balanced, and, while Pinots from the Santa Rita Hills are rarely lacking in structure, it goes an extra step in expressing a full complement of fully ripe cherries and shows a little more fruity voluptuousness at its heart than is the norm. It also shows a very clear sense of layering with toast, sweet spice and a spot of dried herbs popping up here and there along its lengthy way, and its combination of measured strength and fine composition makes it a sure bet for a half-decade or more of cellaring. ”
Connoisseurs’ Guide to California Wine
June 2016
“Medium ruby color; focused, complex, cherry and plum aromas with saddle leather notes; ripe, finely layered flavors of cherry, plum and raspberry with earthy, leathery notes; good structure and balance; long finish. Complex, earthy Pinot with great structure. Worth waiting for.”
Pinot Report
“The magnificent Pinot Noir La Encantada offers pure ripe black cherry fruit on the nose. On the palate is has dense and lush fruit and is beautifully balanced with good acidity and earthy minerals.”
International Wine Review
“If the first duty of a wine is to offer pleasure, then this wildly succeeds. It shows the power of great Santa Rita Pinot, with superb balancing elegance. As sweet as the raspberries and licorice seem, the wine finishes dry and crisp in acidity, and even with some bracing tannins. Beautiful now, it will continue to evolve for 10 years.”
Wine Enthusiast
La Encantada Vineyard
The La Encantada Vineyard is one of coolest growing sites in the Sta. Rita Hills. It is planted on a ridge that straddles the Santa Ynez River Valley and experiences the full impact of the cool afternoon ocean breezes. Planted in 2000, it consists of 96 acres of Pinot Noir. It benefits from strong winds, morning fog and sunny days. These conditions provide a long, cool growing season averaging 30 to 45 days longer than many of California’s wine growing areas. This allows for a longer ‘hang time’ and more intense and complex flavors.