Alma Rosa Winery – Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills

Vineyard

• 98% El Jabali Vineyard, remaining 2% composition of La Encantada, Rancho La Viña and Radian Vineyard
• El Jabali Vineyard Blocks 7, 14, 15 and 17A

Vintage Notes: the 2022 vintage began with cold mornings and warm afternoons, a trend that lasted through April. Ideal summer temperatures continued, with morning fog and persistent afternoon breezes from the Pacific Ocean. This steady weather resulted in a long, moderate growing season, which allowed the grapes to develop slowly and gradually, with small berries and clusters. A September heatwave provoked a fast and short harvest with long hours in the winery processing a deluge of beautiful fruit. The resulting crop yielded fruit with bright acidity and minerality, beautiful aromas and complexity. A spectacular and “classic” Sta. Rita Hills vintage, 2022 reminded Alma Rosa’s Founders Richard and Thekla Stanford of 1971, the year they first planted Pinot Noir in the Sta. Rita Hills.

Winemaking

• 100% destemmed
• Cold soak for 5 days, following 10-15 days of fermentation
• Fermented in open stainless steel tank, closed stainless steel tank and 1-ton bins
• Free-run and barreled directly into 30% new French oak and allowed to go through natural malolactic fermentation; aged for a total of 10 months
• Wine sat on gross lees until mid-July when it was racked and allowed to settle naturally
• Wine was bottled slightly polished in August

Tasting Notes: in the glass, Alma Rosa’s 2022 Sta Rita Hills Pinot Noir, which was sourced almost entirely from its own estate El Jabali Vineyard, alongside a small amount of carefully selected partner fruit sourced from top growers along the southern corridor of the Sta. Rita Hills, is a strikingly deep, rich ruby hue. On the nose, the wine shows ripe red fruit, freshly picked flowers, citrus peel, lavender and mint. Reflective of the excellent and “classic” 2022 growing season, this wine, with its bright red fruit flavors, lively acidity, distinctive oceanic salinity and firm yet elegant tannins, exemplifies why the Sta. Rita Hills is such a special and distinctive place to cultivate Pinot Noir.