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: 2015 Foxen "John Sebastiano Vineyard" Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir

2015 Foxen "John Sebastiano Vineyard" Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir

SKU #1401285 94 points Wine Enthusiast

Outer quote mark There's an impressive array of aromas on the nose of this bottling, starting with light red cherry and pomegranate before intensifying into boysenberry jam with loads of star anise and dried ginger along the way. The mouthfeel is full, carrying boysenberry-jam flavors laced with sandalwood, myrrh and anise. (MK) Inner quote mark (12/2018)

92 points Jeb Dunnuck

Outer quote mark Slightly darker colored, the 2016 Pinot Noir John Sebastiano Vineyard (17 months in 40% new French oak) is a much bigger, richer Pinot Noir that offers lots of black cherry and blackberry fruits intermixed with spice, forest floor, and a distinct salty minerality. It too is juicy and racy on the palate, with high yet integrated acidity. It's a beautiful wine, yet like the Solomon Hills releases, it needs 2-3 years of bottle age. 92+ Inner quote mark (10/2018)

92 points Vinous

Outer quote mark The 2016 Pinot Noir John Sebastiano Vineyard is a powerful, explosive wine endowed with considerable richness. Layers of fruit fill out the wine's vertical frame effortlessly. There is tremendous depth to the blue/purplish fruit. It will be interesting to see if greater nuance develops over time. Today, the JSV Pinot is a bit one-dimensional, although it is undeniably hugely appealing. (AG) Inner quote mark (9/2018)

K&L Notes

Winemaker's Notes: "100% Pinot Noir Grapes from the John Sebastiano Vineyard in Sta. Rita Hills AVA. Using a combination of Dijon 115, Dijon 667 and Swan clones. Soils are shallow loam with limestone. In the winery berries are destemmed into small, open top fermenters followed by a 3-5 day cold maceration. Fermentation is active for 10-14 days. Aged for 17 months in 36% new Francois Freres & Treuil barrels that are medium + toast with toasted heads. No fining or filtration."

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2015 Foxen "John Sebastiano Vineyard" Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir

Price: $39.99

Quantity:

WE: 94

JD: 92

VN: 92

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Additional Information:

Varietal:

Pinot Noir

- One of France's most legendary grapes and the grape that earned Burgundy its reputation. The parent of varietals like Pinot Gris/Grigio and Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir is blue to violet to indigo in color with relatively thin skins, and it is said to have been cultivated in France for more than 2,000 years. At its best, Pinot Noir creates elegant wines that are filled with primary red fruit aromas and flavors while young, revealing with an array of secondary characteristics like earth, smoke, violet, truffle and game with age. The varietal is also known, perhaps better than any, for its ability to translate terroir, or a sense of place. While the best Pinot Noir still comes from Burgundy, it is being produced with increasing success in cooler climates around the world. In France, it is part of the trifecta of grapes that can go into Champagne, and it is also grown in Alsace, Irancy, Jura, Savoie, Lorraine and Sancerre. Outside of France it is produced under the names Pinot Nero and Blauburgunder in Italy's mountainous regions, as Spätburgunder in Germany and as Blauburgunder in Austria. In the US, Pinot Noir has found suitable growing conditions in the cooler parts of California, including Carneros, the Russian River Valley, the Anderson Valley, the Sonoma Coast, Monterey County, the Santa Lucia Highlands and Santa Barbara County, as well as in Oregon's Willamette Valley. In recent years, New Zealand has demonstrated its ability to interpret this hard-to-grow varietal, with successful bottlings coming from careful and attentive growers in Central Otago, Martinborough and Canterbury. Chile is also an up-and-coming region for Pinot Noir, creating fresh, fruit-forward, early-drinking and affordable Pinots from the coastal Casablanca Valley and the Limari Valley.

Country:

United States

- When people consider domestic wine, they normally think about the state of California. The fine viticultural Region within California, including the Napa Valley, Sonoma, Santa Cruz Mountains, Mendocino and Santa Barbara, are capable of growing grapes of world-class quality. But there's plenty of fabulous wine coming from other states, too. Oregon, Washington and New York are also causing eyebrows (and glassware) to be raised around the world.

Sub-Region:

California

- With the explosive growth that California's wine industry has seen the past several years, it's easy to view winemaking and grape growing in the Golden State as a recent phenomenon. And while it's true that California's viticultural history is brief compared to several European countries, this state's roots date back well over 200 years. Due to the enormous response to California wine within the United States and worldwide, there are thousands of excellent and diverse wines being produced within the state each year.

Specific Appellation:

Santa Maria/Santa Barbara

- Santa Maria and Santa Ynez make up the two AVAs of Santa Barbara County, an area known for its natural beauty and temperate climate. The best grape-growing areas, however, are located on the very coastal reaches of these two appellations, and are cooled by ever-present fog and ocean breezes (it is even cooler and foggier here than Carneros!). As expected, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir thrive while the more inland zones lay claim to Bordeaux varietals and some Rhône blends.

Alcohol Content (%):

13.7