2010 Pinot Noir La Côte

Domaine de la Côte is one of the most intriguing wineries in Santa Barbara. Rajat Parr and Sashi Moorman have chosen to focus on a set of marginal sites where fruit struggles to ripe. As opposed to Sandhi, where Parr and Moorman work with purchased fruit, all of the vineyards at Domaine de la Côte are estate, and that makes a difference in years where farming must be hands on to ensure quality. The 2013s all came in around 12% alcohol and were done with some stem inclusion. Compared to the Sandhi wines, the approach at Domaine de la Côte calls for more punchdowns, higher temperatures during fermentation and longer aging in barrel. The range will soon expand with the new Siren's Call Pinot Noir and the estate's first Chardonnay, Clos Juliette.