Presqu'ile 2015 Pinot Noir, Santa Barbara

In 2007, after an extensive search that spanned the West Coast of the United States, the Murphy family acquired an ideal unplanted 200-acre property in the hills of the Santa Maria Valley to plant the Prequ'ile Vineyard. The soil and microclimate in this Central Coast region are well known for growing outstanding Pinot Noir and they have been doing just that ever since. Their winemaker is a big fan of the wines of Burgundy and for this wine he was able to convince Jeremy Seysses of the celebrated Domaine Dujac in the Cote De Nuits, to act as consulting oenologist. They sourced grapes from their own Presqu'ile Vineyard but also from the nearby Solomon Hills Vineyard and from the famous Bien Nacido Vineyard. Monsieur Seysses vinified the grapes using 32% whole clusters to give the wine more backbone and depth. It was aged for 17 months in 20% new French oak barrels and then bottled unfined and unfiltered. The wine shows a remarkable seamless quality with a mouthfilling texture. The fruit is pronounced and pervasive showing strawberry, black cherry and an infusion of exotic spice that lingers on the finish. Ordinarily to enjoy a Jeremy Seysses wine you'd be spending well over $100 so to call this wine a steal definitely understates the case. Don't miss it.