Sea Smoke Vineyards, "Sea Spray" Pinot Noir Brut 2018, Santa Rita Hills, Santa Barbara, CA

An aggressive and excited mousse lifts aromas of chalk, gardenia and tart apple on the nose of this elegant California sparkling wine. The palate shows a wide range of complexity, from steely minerality and pepper-like spice to citrus-splashed melon and mango.

COUNTRY: USA

STATE: CA

APPELLATION (AVA): Santa Rita Hills

REGION: California

SUB-REGION: Santa Barbara County

VINEYARD: Sea Smoke Estate

VINTAGE: 2018

GRAPES: 100% Pinot Noir

SOIL: Clay

PRACTICE: Biodynamic and organic farming

VINIFICATION: Hand harvested, methode champenoise, cold press, cool fermentation in stainless steel tanks, completed in neutral French oak barrels sur lie aging for 12 months, additional 36 months aging en tirage prior to disgorging, with 10 months under cork prior to release; finished with no dosage.

STYLE: Champagne Method Sparkling

COLOR: Dried Hay

BODY: Full

TASTE: Brut

PRIMARY AROMAS: Fresh strawberries, tart apple, chalk, flaky croissant, floral

FLAVOR: Steely minerality, citrus and tropical fruit, mild yeast

FORMAT: 750 ml

ALCOHOL: 12%

SERVICE AND SUGGESTION: If pairing with food, chill, pour into a Bordeaux glass, and pair with roasted chicken or duck and earthy mushrooms.

ABOUT THE PRODUCER: Sea Smoke

“For years, vintners have coveted a stretch of land in the western end of Santa Barbara’s Santa Rita Hills AVA known to have the perfect microclimate, soils, and exposure to grow world-class Pinot Noir. In 1999, fulfilling a long-held dream of owner Bob Davids, this sought-after stretch of land became Sea Smoke Vineyard.

"At Sea Smoke, our objective is to produce the best Pinot Noir possible from our unique vineyard site. Located on south-facing hillside bluffs, our estate vineyard benefits from excellent sun exposure – producing grapes with optimum flavor, color and tannin development. The heat generated during the day is moderated each evening by a marine fog layer (sea “smoke”), which travels up the Santa Ynez River canyon, cooling the vines and resulting in a longer ripening period. This extended ‘hangtime’ allows the grape tannins to fully ripen prior to harvest, creating wines that are rich and supple.”

ABOUT THE VINEYARD: Sea Smoke Estate Vineyard

“Our estate vineyard is located in the northern hemisphere’s southernmost – and sunniest – Region 1 microclimate, which has the coolest temperatures for grape growing. The Pacific Ocean fog (‘sea smoke’) funnels across our hillsides each afternoon, creating ideal growing conditions for Pinot Noir.

Our Pinot Noir vines are planted on south-facing hillside bluffs, in ‘transition zones’ characterized by rich clay soils, aiding us in our quest for quality. This is where Pinot Noir finds its most sublime expression.

We farm our estate vineyard both organically and biodynamically, because nurturing the soil and vines – without toxic chemicals and in harmony with nature – is the right thing to do for the land, for our employees and for our customers.

Sea Smoke’s unique combination of sun, fog, soil and meticulous farming results in wines that are lush, elegant and expressive.” (seasmoke.com)