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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 91.7 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 727 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by JCaress on 11/23/2023 & rated 97 points: Popped a magnum on Thanksgiving with some worry that we might have held it too long. Incorrect. It was spectacular immediately on opening, but improved with full color and fruit without need of a decant.
Cannot say enough about the quality of the pinot, one of the best we have had in years and was a perfect partner to turkey and all the fixings. (356 views) | | | Tasted by Cow Town on 11/17/2023 & rated 93 points: Drank alongside a bunch of other CA pinots. Surprisingly and shockingly good. Great fruit, nose, color. Nothing seemed out of balance. (364 views) | | | Tasted by Deadhead on 12/18/2022 & rated 94 points: Outstanding!! (856 views) | | | Tasted by CLOrta on 12/4/2022 & rated 94 points: Drinking very nice right now still full bodied and good fruit (852 views) | | | Tasted by vinolovers on 11/4/2022 & rated 94 points: Medium dark cherry coloring with a bright red edge. The nose burst with red cherry notes, followed by some strawberry. Some red licorice and a hint of earthiness (no burgandian funk). Amazingly smooth and seems to get better with age. (only 1 bottle left). (924 views) | | | Tasted by vinolovers on 1/8/2022 & rated 93 points: A dark cherry coloring when poured. Lots, Lots of cherry notes along with some mature red fruit. Incredibly smooth. has aged well for Calif. pinot but probably at its peak! (1395 views) | | | Tasted by StefanAkiko on 1/21/2021 & rated 90 points: A rare PN in that both wifey and I liked it.
It's a broad-shouldered PN (as far as that goes) that has some chic oak. Rich and in your face with good tannins and great acidic backbone.
Easy drinking, easy to like. Very young. Not particularily complex.
Went well with all dishes at Pecorella.
At this pricepoint, however, I can think of a huge number of better choices to satisfy our palates.
This means I'm almost done with this year's getting-to-understand-PN chores. (1977 views) | | | Tasted by nebbiol-ho on 9/11/2020 & rated 88 points: At 14.7% abv, this attacks like grenache. Mouth-filling, new world Pinot. Smoke, purse leather, raspberry/blueberry jam, cherry syrup. Gains complexity as it opens up. (1539 views) | | | Tasted by steinersing on 3/7/2020 & rated 91 points: this feels reasonably warm climate - quite solidly made. obvious new world pinot. (2150 views) | | | Tasted by PJHaveron on 12/29/2019 & rated 92 points: Drank over two nights - still showed good depth and complexity although at the end of its life cycle (1999 views) | | | Tasted by DBSingleton on 10/8/2019: Unfortunately this bottle was bad, not corked, just bad. We could not drink it. I have one other bottle and will try that later. (1767 views) | | | Tasted by hanasowner on 7/27/2019 & rated 89 points: Opened 30 minutes in advance...very nice tasting for what it is...mature Pinot that is still hanging on to some fruit...recommend drinking up. (1534 views) | | | Tasted by Jonathan T on 4/10/2019 & rated 93 points: Not as good as it might have been 2 or 3 years ago, but I will say this. I wolfed down about 3/4 of a bottle in about 30 minutes. And I kind of feel dirty doing so. It is still delicious and clearly irresistible. I can't get over how great this vintage was for Sea Smoke. (1715 views) | | | Tasted by LorenzoIlMagnifico on 11/22/2018 & rated 88 points: Soft, mature Pinot Noir. Some tannin but not overpowering. Spicey in the mouth. Seems to be at its peak. (1591 views) | | | Tasted by Jonathan T on 10/10/2018 & rated 92 points: Note: This is a bottle was purchased from the grey market, not one of my own bottles purchased from the winery on release. I always thought the '05 Southing was the best wine I ever had from Sea Smoke. Today's bottle, while still good, is not as good as it once was. Still beautiful and elegant, but it's definitely lost some of its fruit and the remaining alcohol is subsequently more pronounced. Every great wine will inevitably come to an end. Drink this up! (1744 views) | | | Tasted by Scotty51 on 6/15/2018 & rated 93 points: 13 years old and still amazing. (2021 views) | | | Tasted by oaxaca90049 on 3/5/2018: showing beautifully. WOW . (2331 views) | | | Tasted by agnorger on 1/30/2018 & rated 94 points: Still firing but beginning to drift. Drink now. (2141 views) | | | Tasted by Vinomnivore on 12/20/2017 & rated 92 points: Drank from magnum. Initially discordant with a slight acetone note, but settled down after breathing for two hours. This was poured along with a number of other bottles at a party. I think this bottle was finished first. The guests approve! My sense is that this has several more years at least in mag format. (1853 views) | | | Tasted by peternelson on 12/17/2017 & rated 87 points: Very big, high alcohol, sweet raspberry notes/framboise gooey fruity aspect, medium body; born in the heady days of over-extraction and high alcohol. Still tasting very young though. Blind at Monica's. (1933 views) | | | Tasted by GalvezGuy on 11/28/2017 & rated 93 points: Get some!! Really great nose of violets, sour cherry, clove, and Pinot funk. On the palate rich with black cherry, sour cherry, spice, and a nice sappy midpalate full of cola. Long finish with a bit of grip. Trace of heat but the rest of the package is really good. Drink or continue to hold. This is in a pretty good spot right now. (1761 views) | | | Tasted by PJHaveron on 11/23/2017 & rated 93 points: Really showed well despite a bit of age. Excellent structure, a lot of depth and still plenty of fruit. Not as fruit forward as in its youth but very good finish and opened up nicely over the course of Thanksgiving dinner. Still has some distance to go. Very good wine. (1221 views) | | | Tasted by burningstarIV on 10/19/2017 & rated 99 points: Delicious and complex. 94+ (1801 views) | | | Tasted by jdhannah on 8/22/2017: Fantastic right when opened. But sat 30 minutes and when I got to it, not much fruit left, a bit one dimensional. Past peak. (2122 views) | | | Tasted by peternelson on 7/6/2017 & rated 91 points: Nice rich faded blackberry, not too complex but soft and full-ish body; not exactly my style, but worked with rack of lamb. At its peak and may hold for another 3-4 years. Drink up soon. (2919 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Linda Murphy
JancisRobinson.com (11/23/2007)
(Sea Smoke, Southing Pinot Noir Sta Rita Hills Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Josh Raynolds
Vinous, November/December 2007, IWC Issue #135
(Sea Smoke Pinot Noir Southing Santa Rita Hills) Subscribe to see review text. | By Allen Meadows
Burghound, 4th Quarter, 2007, Issue #28
(Sea Smoke Cellars Pinot Noir Southing Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (9/12/2007)
(Sea Smoke Pinot Noir Southing) Medium bright cherry red color; red fruit and roses nose; tasty, tart red fruit and cherry with good depth; medium-plus finish 93 points |  By Gary Vaynerchuk
Wine Library TV, Sea Smoke Pinot Noir, Episode #291 (8/10/2007)
(Sea Smoke Southing Pinot Noir) #2; COLOR-medium dark; NOSE-a little tighter; concrete aspect; cherries & raspberry; TASTE-more weight than the Botella; little Venison; pepper; strawberry; a little more New World; a good wine; very fresh; WS-92/94; GV-93 93 points | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (6/9/2007)
(Sea Smoke Pinot Noir Southing) Ripe cherry, smoky palate; tasty, ripe cherry palate with well integrated oak; medium-plus finish 93 points |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of JancisRobinson.com and Vinous and Burghound and RJonWine.com and Wine Library TV. (manage subscription channels) |
| Sea Smoke Producer website.
At Sea Smoke we believe that the vineyard is the wine. For this reason, we produce Pinot Noir grown exclusively on our estate vineyard in the heart of the Sta. Rita Hills AVA in Santa Barbara County, California. We focus on the meticulous management of each vine to achieve ideal vine balance and very low yields, while incorporating sustainable, environmentally sound farming practices. Each of our ten clones of Pinot Noir is hand harvested, and individual vineyard block/clone combinations are kept in separate lots throughout the winemaking process, enabling us to develop an intimate knowledge of the way Sea Smoke vineyard expresses itself. These individual lots form the basis of a complex flavor palette from which final blending decisions are made. This results in wines of exceptional complexity and grace - each one, we believe, a reflection of the unique terroir of our estate vineyard. We hope you agree, and we welcome your comments.
2005 Sea Smoke Pinot Noir SouthingWINEMAKING: Clusters were sorted in the vineyard, and then gently destemmed following an evening in our cold room; ‘jack stems’ were removed by hand. The must was cold-soaked in open-top fermenters for one to four days (depending upon the lot), and then inoculated with a cultured yeast to begin a slow fermentation. Each tank was manually punched down one to three times per day over a period of 14 to 18 days. Upon completion of primary fermentation, and the desired number of maceration days, all free-run wine was transferred to tank for settling. Pressing was done at extremely low pressure (0.08 bars) to avoid extracting bitterness from seeds. After settling overnight, both free-run and press wines were racked cleanly to separate barrel lots.
CHARACTER: The 2005 Sea Smoke Southing Pinot Noir shows elegant fruit, a rich middle palate, firm tannins and Sea Smoke Vineyard’s signature cool climate acidity. Aromas of wild blueberries, violets and a subtle dustiness are characteristic of this wine. We recommend decanting thirty to sixty minutes prior to drinking, particularly if consumed before 2009.
Winemaker's tasting notes:https://www.seasmoke.com/pdfs/Southing2005.pdf
Pinot Noir Varietal character (Appellation America) | Varietal article (Wikipedia)
Pinot Noir is the Noble red grape of Burgundy, capable of ripening in a cooler climate, which Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot will not reliably do. It is unpredictable and difficult both to grow and to vinify, but results in some of the finest reds in the world. It is believed to have been selected from wild vines two thousand years ago. It is also used in the production of champagne. In fact, more Pinot Noir goes into Champagne than is used in all of the Cote d'Or! It is also grown in Alsace, Jura, Germany, the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Romania, Switzerland, Austria, Croatia, Serbia, Italy, and so forth, with varying degrees of success.
Pinot Noir is one of the world's most prestigious grapes. It is very difficult to grow and thrives well in France, especially in Champagne and Burgundy. Pinot Noir thrives less in hot areas, is picky on soil, and deserves some oak storage.
Pinot Noir, or Blauburgunder / Spätburgunder in German, is a blue grapevine - and, as the German name suggests, the grape comes originally from Burgundy in France.
The grape, which thrives in calcareous soils, is used primarily for the production of red wine, and it is widely regarded as producing some of the best wines in the world. The wine style is often medium-bodied with high fruit acidity and soft tannins. It can be quite peculiar in fragrance and taste, and not least in structure - which may be why it is referred to as "The Grapes Ballerina".
Pinot Noir is also an important ingredient in sparkling wines, not least in champagne since it is fruity, has good acidity and contains relatively little tannins.
The grape is considered quite demanding to grow. The class itself consists of tightly packed grapes, which makes it more sensitive to rot and other diseases.
Pinot Noir changes quite easily and is genetically unstable. It buds and matures early which results in it often being well ripened. Climate is important for this type of grape. It likes best in cool climates - in warm climates the wines can be relaxed and slightly pickled.
In cooler climates, the wine can get a hint of cabbage and wet leaves, while in slightly warmer regions we often find notes of red berries (cherries, strawberries, raspberries, currants), roses and slightly green notes when the wine is young. With age, more complex aromas of forest floor, fungi and meat emerge.
In Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Hungary, it often produces light wines with less character. However, it has produced very good results in California, Oregon and New Zealand.
With its soft tannins and delicate aroma, it is excellent for white fish, chicken and light meat. For the stored wines you can serve small game. Classic duck breast is a matter of course, a Boeuf Burgundy and Pinot Noir are pure happiness.
Pinot Noir loses quality by over-harvesting.
Pinot Noir is prone to diseases, especially rot and mildew. Viruses cause major problems especially in Burgundy.
Pinot Noir are large round grapes with thin skins. Relatively high in alcohol content. Medium rich tannins and good with acid.
As a young person, Pinot Noir has a distinctly fruity character such as raspberries, cherries and strawberries.
A mature Pinot Noir, the taste is different. Cherry goes into plum and prune flavors. It smells of rotten leaves, coffee, moist forest floor and animal wine. This must be experienced.
In warm climates you find boiled plum, some rustic, little acid.
If the grapes are over-grown, the wine will be thin, with little color and flavor.USAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Central Coasthttp://www.ccwinegrowers.org/links.html
http://www.discovercaliforniawines.com/regional-wine-organizations/
http://beveragetradenetwork.com/en/btn-academy/list-of-winegrowers-association-in-central-coast-california-274.htm
Central Coast AVA Wikipedia |
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