Steele Pinot Noir 2014 Santa Barbara County VINEYARDS Bien Nacido, a nine-hundred-acre vineyard a few miles east of Santa Maria, is well known for its Chardonnay and Pinot Noir plantings. For years, Steele has sourced Pinot Noir from this famous site for our vineyard designated "Block N' bottling. For the Santa Barbara label, we pick from Block F, a younger-vine bench land site, and blend it with grapes from the lower elevation Goodchild Vineyard. The interplay between the Bien Nacido’s bench land site and the Goodchild's sandy riverside soils make for a wine with great nuances and harmony.
WINE STYLE & TASTING NOTE We take a hands-off approach with our pinots beginning with "rollers out" at the crusher, a process where the berries are left virtually intact at destemming. From there, it's largely a kid-glove handling of slow fermentation and long, gentle pressing. Finally, resting the finished wine in oak (30% new French) for about eight months. The velvety nose yields a strawberry and perfume quality. Dried cherries lead the palate, followed by hints of wild strawberries. Lovely floral notes shine before ending on a spicy note.
FOOD PAIRINGS We recommend roast pheasant with a cherry and almond chutney, or with creamy polenta with mushrooms and eggplant.
TECHNICAL NOTES APPELLATION Santa Barbara County, CA ALCOHOL 14.5% pH 3.70 TA 0.58g/100mL RS 0.81g/L BARREL AGING 12 months in French oak (30% new) VINE AGE avg. 22 years YIELDS 3 tons per acre
