Our Lady of Guadalupe 2022 Pinot Noir “Estate” Santa Rita Hills – 96 Points

This is a very limited produced  Pinot Noir from Winemaker Dave Phinney

The wine comes in a six-pack with six different labels – a little collage of sorts

Decanter 96 Points: “The 2022 leads with a more savory profile than the inaugural 2021 release (also a fabulous wine). Alluring candied cherry notes are scented with expressive cedarwood laced with fragrant cumin and flamed orange peel. A polished wine on entry with silky textured fruit so pure and so ripe and bright and perfectly expressive of black cherry, black plum, Red Delicious apple, and layers of baking spices. Satiny tannins glide up against a juicy acid profile, building to a finish of cocoa nib nuances and fresh garrigue notes. Juicy, structured, and delicious, it leaves one in a perpetual state of wanting for more.”

Vinous 95 Points: “The 2022 Pinot Noir Our Lady of Guadalupe is a hugely promising wine from Dave Phinney’s new OLG Our Lady of Guadalupe label. Aromatic, deep, and potent, the 2022 has so much going on. Crushed flowers, spice, plum, menthol, and licorice all built in the glass. Hints of pomegranate, new leather, and blood
orange build into a deep, resonant finish. ”

WE “Editor’s Choice” 95 Points: “Combining herbaceous elements with a richer frame, this is an exciting early release for this vineyard that straddles the western edge of the already cool-climate Sta. Rita Hills, where it’s blasted directly by Pacific fog and winds. Aromas of brambleberry, seared rosemary and smoked herb lead from the nose into a savory palate of black pepper, clove, menthol and roasted mulberry.”

Tasting Notes: “2022 Our Lady of Guadalupe Pinot Noir’s fluorescent ruby core and a flashing vermilion rim pour into the glass gracefully. Immediate aromatic complexities abound, rife with notes of black cherry, hibiscus, rose petal, a touch of strawberry, caramel apple, and confectioner’s chocolate. The entry dances across the palate with framboise, pomegranate, and baking spices, enhanced by the soft texture and ripples of acidity. The piquant finish continues the flow of energy as the acid brings together notes of amaro and black cherry, yet again.”

Winemaker Dave Phinney: “For many years, we’ve been coming down to the Santa Barbara region in search of the highest quality Pinot Noir in California. We’ve sourced fruit from across the county and have been introduced to special, well-known vineyards in the Sta. Rita Hills AVA. We fell hard for the area and were lucky enough to find a diamond in the rough—an abandoned row crop farm on the western edge of the AVA. With barns full of coloring books, formidable pitbulls, and chunks of diatomaceous earth protruding from the soil, we purchased the property in 2015. Over the first two years, we fed the soils with compost, gypsum, lime and nitrogen-fixing cover crop. With the renewed soil health, we planted our first set of vines at Our Lady of Guadalupe (OLG) in 2018, followed by subsequent plantings in 2019 and 2020.”