2022 Rusack Vineyards Pinot Noir Santa Barbara County California USA

Winemaker Notes
Pinot Noir is a demanding grape - each vintage deeply affected by changes in climate and soil composition. Fortunately for us, Santa Barbara County is both well suited to this noble grape and remarkably temperate, allowing us to produce award-winning wine year after year.

The Rusack SBC Pinot Noir is a favorite among restaurateurs. This wine is packed with bright juicy notes of strawberries, raspberries, and caramel, with subtle hints of orange meringue. Firm acidity and an elegant balance make for a very approachable food friendly wine.

The grapes for this Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir hail from three vineyards, both influenced by the cooling fog of the nearby Pacific and perfectly suited for growing Pinot Noir. The grapes are sourced from Solomon Hills Vineyard in Santa Maria (50%), and John Sebastiano Vineyard (30%) and Fiddlestix Vineyard (20%) both located in the Sta. Rita Hills. Upon delivery to the winery early in the morning, the grapes were de-stemmed and placed into small 1-ton bins, where they were punched down by hand 2-3 times each day. The resulting wine was transferred into French oak barrels, of which 35% were new, and aged for 11 months. It was then bottled unfiltered, given a few months of bottle aging to allow the flavors to integrate.