We are pleased to release another outstanding bottling of our
popular Lovely Rita Pinot Noir. I believe the 2010 vintage in Santa
Barbara County is on par with the stellar 2009 vintage. Both
seasons had mild weather leading up to the harvest with some hot
days in early September, which raised the sugar levels if the
grapes were left on the vine too long. Our style calls for
harvesting our grapes at moderate sugar levels, so the Pinot Noir
grapes from Fe Ciega Vineyard for the Lovely Rita blend were
harvested September 16th and 17th, at an average of 23.2
Brix.
Two thirds of the blend was fermented in our Ganimedes
fermenter and the balance in an open top fermenter. The highly
aromatic and soft wine produced in the Ganimedes tank combined with
the more structured wine produced in the open top fermenter
produced an elegant and complex Pinot Noir.
The wine was aged in French oak barrels for 11 months with
about 20% of the barrels being new. The wine was fined and filtered
before bottling on September 1st.
The color is a medium dark ruby with purple edges. The forward
nose of the wine has aromas of spices, bark and raspberries with a
subtle herbal element in the background. On the palate, the wine is
medium weight with fleshy flavors of raspberries and cranberries.
The oak component is well balanced with the fruit of the wine. The
tannins are moderate and indicate the wine will benefit from
several years of cellaring.
This wine will pair well with pepper encrusted sea bass,
salmon, pork and finer cuts of beef.
