Sea Smoke, Pinot Noir Ten, Sta. Rita Hills

Similar tasting notes to previous bottles.

2017 vintage

Lovely aromas and flavors of ripe raspberry, tart cherry, vanilla, and cedar with refreshing tannins and acidity on a long finish.

2017 vintage

Young but full of energy. Soft and supple.

2020 vintage

Wine Night with the usual suspects : Paired with mushroom tarts. Poured about 90 minutes before guests arrived and covered with a vino chapeau. Some people thought the very first smell was off or maybe hot. I did not notice that. But that first smell quickly blew off. Nose - herbs, subtle hints of red fruit. Palate - more herbs, very well balanced, nice finish. Since this was a magnum, this was the workhorse for first part of the dinner. …

2020 vintage

Hints of herbs on the nose and juicy cherries and cranberry on the palate. Drinking really well now.

2020 vintage

Brighter than expected, but still with nice earthiness. Well balanced, drinking perfectly. Paired beautifully with coq au vin

2017 vintage

PNP. Deep magenta color. Strawberry danish, rhubarb, and subtle thyme. Dry, crisp palate. Medium intensity tannins on the longish finish. Quite impressive for the terrible fire vintage. I’ve not had more than one or two exposures to this well known label. I need to try more (from other vintages and vineyards).

2020 vintage

This was noticeably better than the last bottle. Makes me think the first bottle may have been corked. Much more in line with previous Southing vintages. Curious to see how the change in ownership affects future offerings.

2015 vintage

Opened as a PnP and it was good to go from the start. However it does drink better after some time so in the future, will plan to give it at least an hour decant…..maybe more. A medium bodied wine with a fair amount of acidity that go with the red fruit - cranberry & cherry. Silky smooth as always. Another hit, but will give this vintage more time as it has plenty of life left in the bottle

2020 vintage

Already enamored with the nose after 2 hours and a bit in the decanter. Not sure what the secret is, but I find Sea Smoke to be subtle, centered, balanced, and complex every time I taste it. It's a pastel painting of Sta Rita truly worthy of guests with refined tastes. Probably wasted on the less seasoned taster because it drinks so easily. Don't mistake a lack of power for weakness. This is art. Superb.

2020 vintage

Drinking well. A bit of fading fruit but a toasted herbaceous and forest floor now shines through. 14.5% ABV.

2017 vintage

Drank over two nights. Just as good the second night. Great acidity and cherry notes complemented the duck breast with a cherry port sauce wonderfully.

2020 vintage

Needed a few hours to breathe. Nose: Very nice 8/10. Palate: 8/10. Medium bodied. Lively acidity. Lots of cranberry aroma. Dusty tannin. Finish: 8/10. Price: 8/10 ($84 2024). Enjoyment: 8/10. Would buy again: Probably. Could use another year or 2 I think.

2020 vintage

Delicious ripe raspberry, dark cherry, and floral notes on the nose and palate with a hint of cedar and refreshing tannins and acidity on the long finish.

2017 vintage

Sour cherry, cola and forest floor on the palate. This represents a new world style Pinot with some additional heaviness and and a smoky note on the finish. Medium acidity on a medium finish. I stored and opened this at 50 degrees. It was that temperature that this review reflects. I also tasted in the low 40 degrees and warmer than 50 as the evening progressed. I do not see the longevity as another three years and will likely consume …

2017 vintage

Best Pinot of the evening. Very fruit forward but with a nice spicy finish. Very fresh and drinking well. Likely has a little time left but I’d drink sooner rather than later.

2015 vintage

Started off great, Nice nose of red fruit leading to a palate of cherry, plum, cola, and currants. The problem comes in the finish as there a a touch of a foul taste that comes through. I drank from a magnum a few years back and it was a perfect finish. This bottle didn't have that. I hope it was just an off bottle as I have 5 more but I read someone else left a review that had the …

2017 vintage

Terrific

2020 vintage

Excellent wine at an excellent age here.

2017 vintage

5 months since my last bottle. I defer to my prior review but this is still going strong. A touch more cherry dollop up front making it new world all the way but stellar nonetheless. Still has a couple more years but no point in pushing your luck. This still needs an hour in the glass to open up. Sadly my last. Paired well with Neapolitan pizza.

2015 vintage

One of favorite Pinots! Red and blue fruit, more dense and flavorful than many Pinots. My last of 6 bottles, and it was aging nicely and well received.

2015 vintage

Bright red fruit - red currant and cherry with subtle spicy undertones. Light to medium body with fresh acidity and integrated tannins. Not overly complex even simple in a refreshing way giving it a delightfully clean silky rich finish with more red fruit.

2020 vintage

Similar to my last bottle a couple of years ago. Not my favorite vintage of Sea Smoke. Darker, earthier and less finessed. It was good with food but not what I was hoping for from this label. Totally embarrassed by a 2019 Maxem Silver Eagle.

2017 vintage

Clear pale/medium black cherry; clean medium plus nose of jammy blackberry, savoury herbs and wet forest floor; dry; high acidity; medium tannins; medium plus alcohol; medium plus body; medium plus flavour intensity; palate is tarter with addition of an unpleasant sour note; long finish; drink now - not sure there’s much future development; simple palate - best enjoyed young?

2017 vintage

Friday Group Brown Bag Tasting (R&R's) : Deep ruby purple color. Lovely ripe red berry fruit notes on the nose and palate. Medium- to full-bodied, with a nice herbaceous element that I find appealing but which had me thinking grenache rather than pinot. (R&R)

2017 vintage

Quite nice…..deep berry colors and nose and very flavorful

2020 vintage

Pop and pour and this was ready to go after 20 min but did continue to improve throughout dinner. High pitched up front fruits that were polished and gentle. Overall great balance and finish. Exceeded my expectations by a mile. This was very fleet of foot and reminded me of a good village vosne romanee with a touch more fruit. Drinking in a very good spot now and should drink well for another 2-3 years. This paired well with northern …

2015 vintage

Pop and pour, but decided to decant it even though it wasn’t necessary. Bright maraschino cherry and spicy oak powder permeate out of the glass. The palate is supple with zingy acidity and mulled cherry juice. Surprisingly taught given the warm vintage.

2020 vintage

Needs an hour decant. Dark fruits on the nose. Bright cherry on the palate. Still youthful.

2015 vintage

Bold nose, with notes of baking spice, vanilla, blood orange, and a touch of alcohol. The palate shows nice acidity, with vanilla and cherry cola notes. (Almost too) Bright citrus on the finish, which might mellow with more time. Even so, this wine goes down much easier than the relatively young age and 14.5% alcohol would suggest.

2020 vintage

I decided to open this one since it’s been a while, and I haven’t had many Sea Smokes from the last decade or so. I wanted to see how it tastes compares to my favorites from the early 2000’s. This 2020 is lighter and more delicate in style compared to the 2000’s Southing. Tons of bright berry fruit, especially cranberry, but not a lot of complexity. Easy to drink and a pretty wine still, but not what it used to …

2020 vintage

So Steve and I went to lunch and took this bottle along. We had to PNP. Red fruit on the nose. The palate was dark cherry, red plums, hints of raspberry and a touch of baking spice. The finish was moderate to long.

2020 vintage

Outstanding Pinot, always impressed with the quality of this wine, worth the price point.

2020 vintage

Delivered. California fruit with a chorus of Burgundy-esque savory notes underneath.

2017 vintage

Lovely wine, but probably not one I’d buy again at the price point

2020 vintage

Best Pinot I’ve had so far, perfect acidity and tannins. Red fruit, strawberry, cranberry, mushrooms, some oakiness, not overly fruity.

2020 vintage

Well we had some friends over and I grilled steaks so when the Syrah that we were drinking ran out I grabbed this bottle for a PNP. Red fruit on the nose. The palate was dark cherry, red plums, hints of raspberry and a touch of baking spice. The finish was moderate to long.

2020 vintage

It's in its sweet spot. harmonious

2015 vintage

very young,one hr air, really too early to rate

2020 vintage

deep color, complex, very nice wine

2020 vintage

Good. Did not blow me away in. Too much oak, would like to see more fruit

2017 vintage

In a really good place now. Spicy aromatics are complimenting the fruit well.

2015 vintage

For the people saying this isn’t a port, it actually is. This is just like the vintaged port I had when I visited the Duoro Valley near Porto in Portugal earlier this year. What a pleasant surprise to drink this amazing port. Definitely recommend!! I don’t want this bottle to end…

2012 vintage

Better than the Ten

2017 vintage

After a 1.5 hour decant: dark purple color with medium/slow legs. On the nose some forest floor and a bit of spice/ mint. Intense flavor on the tongue of berrys and black currants with a touch of cola. Pretty nice finish. A wonderful experience.

2017 vintage

Nice earthiness to the aroma profile. Layers of bright and dark cherries co-mingle on the palate with hint of white pepper. Nice long finish. Aging well and fruit is still strong.

2017 vintage

Such a stunning expression of what Pinot Noir can be. This wine possesses incredible depth with grace. Paired with herbed salmon, pasta with vodka sauce, and bourbon roasted carrots and the experience was sublime.

2015 vintage

Wonderful, elegant Pinot

2017 vintage

BOOM! A powerful Pinot that is all about the fruit! It just hits you in the face with its boldness but it is oh so smooth! Juicy cherry and dark fruit. Drinking well now, but have no doubt it has plenty of life left in the bottle. Will try another Southing of this vintage in Q3 of 2024.

2020 vintage

Always a crowd-pleaser

2015 vintage

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Sea Smoke, Pinot Noir Ten, Sta. Rita Hills

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