Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir: Top wines to try

With Chardonnay much loved and much planted in Santa Barbara County, it’s no surprise that Pinot Noir thrives here too and garners an equally exalted reputation. 

Pinot is the County’s second most widely planted grape and, like its Burgundian counterpart, does particularly well in the cool temperature AVAs of Sta. Rita Hills and Santa Maria Valley, as well as the Los Alamos Valley.

Sta. Rita Hills producer SAMsARA Wine Co is clear about the differences in Pinot Noir flavour profiles between the two AVAs. ‘Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noirs tend to be darker both in taste and colour – whereas the Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noirs carry fine-grained tannins that provide structure and a vibrant, earthy spiciness and bright fruit character,’ said the producer.

Matthew Luczy believes that Sta. Rita Hills Pinots benefit from ‘a floral, brooding nose, a red-fruited but deep palate, and a finish that combines focus with a fine-grained and grippy tannin structure’.

He sites La Rinconada as a great area for broad-shouldered wines, whereas the extreme, wind-torn Radian Vineyard on the western limit of the appellation produces Pinot Noir with a tense, edgy structure.

‘The sprawling, 364-ha Bien Nacido Vineyard is a cornerstone of the appellation,’ adds Luczy. The Pinots tend to show a lifted, herbal, savoury character.

To the north in the Santa Maria Valley AVA – the County’s first AVA, formed in 1981 – producers enjoy a lengthy growing season and cool average temperatures of 18°C, not dissimilar to Burgundy. The valley’s unique geography allows cool air and fog from the Pacific Ocean to drift into the valley bringing a touch of moisture with it.

Almost 60% of vines here are Pinot Noir and the soils are sandy-loam and limestone. The Pinot from Santa Maria Valley is noted for its heady aromatic notes, robust structure and savoury, peppery characters.

A number of renowned Santa Barbara producers including Au Bon Climat, Chanin and Varner Wines make single vineyard Pinot Noirs from fruit grown in Los Alamos, which is situated between the Santa Maria Valley and Santa Ynez Valley AVAs. 

‘The grapes in Los Alamos seem to have the best of both worlds: the long, cool growing season of Santa Maria, and the warmth of the Santa Ynez Valley, to ensure complete ripeness and depth,’ says Au Bon Climat on its website.

As well as these three key Pinot Noir areas the grape in its many styles can be found right across Santa Barbara County and it has certainly helped to put this Californian area on the map.

Top Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir wines to try, tasted by Matt Luczy

See also:

Santa Barbara County AVA and wines to try

Santa Barbara County Syrah: Top wines to try

Santa Barbara County Chardonnay: Top wines to try