2011 Pinot Noir (Sta. Rita Hills)

This is a drop-dead gorgeous set of wines from Domaine de la Côte, a project headed by winemakers Rajar Parr and Sashi Moorman. Domaine de la Côte is essentially the second incarnation of vineyards that Moorman initially developed for Evening Land's Sta. Rita Hills operation. Parr and Moorman control farming on these sites, all of which lie just a few miles from the Pacific. The ability to call all the shots in the field, plus the pedigree of these vineyards result in Pinots loaded with class and pure energy. In addition to the 2012s, I also had a chance to revisit the 2011s, wines that are only now beginning to open up. Parr and Moorman give their Pinots about 19 months in barrel, which is on the long side by California standards. The Sta. Rita Hills Pinot is vinified with 50% whole clusters, while the vineyard designates are done with 100% whole clusters. All of the wines are aged in neutral oak. In short, these are some of the most viscerally thrilling Pinot Noirs being made in California today. Readers who haven't discovered Domaine de la Côte yet should do so before the wines gain the wider following they so richly deserve.

For more on Domaine de la Cote, readers might want to take a look at this recent video shot on location.

Domaine de la Cote is a new project headed by Rajat Parr and Sashi Moorman that springs from Evening Land's decision to sell off their estate vineyards in the Santa Rita Hills. Parr and Moorman purchased those vineyards and founded Domaine de la Cote. The style here places a little more emphasis on whole clusters in fermentation. Because Domaine de la Cote only works with estate fruit, Parr and Moorman have much more control over critical decisions in the vineyards and feel more comfortable using a higher percentage of stems relative to the wines they bottle at Sandhi, all of which are made from purchased fruit. The Domaine de la Cote Pinots also see longer time in barrel than the Sandhi Pinots. All three of the 2011 Pinots seemed quite raw when I tasted them in May, so I am curious to see how they show with more bottle age. One vintage, and a highly challenging one at that, is hardly enough to make any meaningful assessments, but right now Domaine de la Cote looks like it is a work in progress. Given what Parr and Moorman have achieved elsewhere, my hunch is that it is only a matter of time before Domaine de la Cote is firing on all cylinders.