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Since this is my first vintage of my Santa Barbara Co. Pinot, I am still a bit unsure how to describe it. While fermenting, it had wonderful smells of fresh chunchy red fruit tied in with earth and spice overtones. It shows a bit more oak than my other wines, which I know will please many of you out there. This years Pinot Noirs, in general, will initially taste on the lean side to those people used to the previous years wines. I personally think young Pinot Noir should taste this way. The lower alcohol and more delicate fruit structure will ensure a fabulous wine for aging and and a lovely drinking wine.

Pure, perfectly ripened fruit is ever the dominant theme for this baby. Cherryish fruit framed by sweet oak and hints of violet move into a positively plush finish. This vineyard is becoming very well known and has been featured in a number of magazines in past years including Food and Wine, Gourmet, Wines and Spirits and The Wine Enthusiast. This years wine will initially taste on the lean side to those people used to the previous years wines. As I have mentioned above, I personally think young Pinot Noir should taste this way. The lower alcohol and more delicate fruit structure will ensure a fabulous wine for aging and and a lovely drinking wine.

The wine is very different from any of my other Pinot Noirs. It is the ripest and most substantial of my Pinot lineup. Dark cherries and black raspberries run through the mouth with dried spice that hovers like a cloud-thread of perfume. It is very deep and voluptuous with a haunting, smoky quality that is from the grapes themselves, not the oak. That is why I call this wine The Haunting Other Woman. This wine will satisfy lovers of Burgundy with it's powerful fruit and hints of mushrooms and earth. The Julias Pinot has been featured in magazines including The Robb Report and House and Garden.

The Melville Pinot is the most forward and in your face Pinot that I make. It has that monster extraction that many of the SRH Pinots show. The tannins are bigger than my other Pinots and so is the fruit. Plush cherry fruit offset by anise, violet, and smoked meat aromas set the stage. Finely balanced herb, cola and dark fruit flavors slide into a finish of dried spice, coffee and pepper notes. This is a wine to drink now and will also be a winner with long cellar age. This is also the best buy of my Pinot family.

The grapes are 100% destemmed. I gently crush into 4' by 4' by 4' open top fermenters, keeping the berries as whole as possible. The juice is slowly fermented with Aussmanhausen yeast to retain the fruity components. Punch down routines are performed to maximize the softer, more elegant nuances of the Syrah grape without extracting the more coarse, alcohol soluble components. The 100% new oak integrates beautifully after 18 months. The wine is seamless, rich and intense. The spice raises out of a succulent, juicy river of red fruit. It is dense, full, vibrant and alive. The tannins are as smooth as melting chocolate in your mouth. This wine is a great match with rich ,warm winter foods and solid flavors any time of year.

This Syrah is a bit more extracted than 2002, but very accessible; all the fun and fruit of a Syrah without excess tannins. The sweet juicy blackberry fruit is highlighted in the palate and the soft black pepper and smoke finish lingers to the next sip. It goes with almost any robust food dish and many light cream sauce dishes. Of course it turns most Asian dishes into a celebration. Speaking of celebration…try it with turkey or ham…yum-yum…Please enjoy it with friends!

Brown sugar and raspberries swirl with floral notes of rose petals and the sweet smell of watermelon. The mouth follows this path into a denser fruit with black pepper and licorice. The wine finishes long with firm but refined tannins and polished, dark fruit flavors. Just when you think the flavor ride has stopped, you get a lingering hint of the watermelon again. The range of the Lano Rouge will make this wine a true crowd pleaser. It is the perfect wine for that mixed dinner party. It will make your wine geek friends happy and Aunty Em from Kansas will be amazed that she has finally found a wine she likes. As a side bar…this wine is a great treat for summer. Serve it chilled, it's wonderful right from the cooler.