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  • Etude North Canyon Pinot Noir
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2020 North Canyon Vineyard Pinot Noir

2020 North Canyon Vineyard Pinot Noir

Santa Maria Valley750ml 13.5

As Santa Barbara County’s northernmost AVA, Santa Maria Valley is renowned for its unique funnel created by two transverse mountain ranges running east by west. Pinot Noir excels in this well-kn...

As Santa Barbara County’s northernmost AVA, Santa Maria Valley is renowned for its unique funnel created by two transverse mountain ranges running east by west. Pinot Noir excels in this well-known transverse valley that, despite its proximity to the Pacific Ocean, is uniquely situated just north of Point Conception, right where the climate is warm and mild enough to ripen grapes to full maturity.

  • Alcohol 14%
$50.00
$50.00

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Specifications

  • Vintage: 2020
  • Region: Santa Barbara County
  • Appelation: Santa Maria Valley
  • ABV: 13.5
  • Varietal: Pinot Noir

Tasting Notes

The signature of North Canyon Pinot Noir is the vibrant, aromatic, primary red fruit character, and this vintage is no exception, exhibiting lively red berry tones alongside a shimmering ruby red bejeweled color. On the palate, bright and boisterous red cherry, cranberry, and red currant accompany hints of hibiscus flower and rooibos tea. Delicate secondary notes of vanilla, cola nut, clove spice and pink peppercorns also come through, a nod to the well-integrated oak aging. Silky and ethereal, the mouthfeel is lithe, with fine-grained tannins and fresh acidity, all contributing to a signature buoyancy, exemplary of the true characteristic of this mouthwatering wine. The wine finishes long and balanced, with grace and elegance.

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Expert reviews

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“Jon Priest makes this wine from an estate vineyard, a slightly more protected and warmer site than Bien Nacido Vineyard, just to the south. Like many Etude wines, this feels plush in the mouth, with spiced cherry scents and a hint of citrus and seaweed. The blue fruit flavors are broad, velvety and warm with polished acidity and an iron-mineral feel to the tannins.” - Patrick J Comiskey

The Vineyard

GRACE BENOIST RANCH

Less than twenty miles from the Pacific Ocean, North Canyon Vineyard sits along the Santa Maria river bench in a secluded canyon that provides some protection from the region’s renowned maritime influences. Located a bit off the direct valley, temperatures are often a few degrees warmer and North Canyon is exposed to extended periods of sunshine that ensure Pinot Noir matures to a bright red fruit character. A variety of rootstocks and clones are planted in calcareous clay sandstone at North Canyon, which differs from the valley’s defining marine mixture of ancient seabed, clay loam and sand. Fruit from one select block, located on a bluff in the southern, cooler end of the canyon, was chosen for this Pinot Noir. In order to achieve the same high level of quality wines, the farming of North Canyon is uniquely hands-on, which ensures viticulture practices and farming measures are comparable with that of Etude’s Estate Vineyards.

Process

The 2020 vintage

  • Winter

    The 2020 season is considered another successful vintage, despite being remembered for factors beyond the typical harvest season. It was a warm, dry winter and the rain and cooler weather didn’t arrive until the end of March.

  • Spring

    While the mild spring season was a great early start, our winery working conditions had extensive safety protocols due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

  • Summer

    Summer brought very cool mornings and very warm days, but then harvest was interrupted by wildfires across California, which came as grapes started to be picked, and we were very fortunate that none of our vineyards were in the areas of the active fires.

  • Harvest

    The red wine harvest started in late August, with the wines showing excellent development in cellars, reflecting the fine vintage year.

Crafted Excellence

Winemaking

The grapes for this wine were harvested at night to preserve freshness and integrity. They were placed in open-top fermenters for 3-5 days of cold maceration followed by fermentation. The grapes were 100% destemmed to preserve the fragrant aromatics and to allow the fruit character to shine. Punch downs were performed during the early stages of fermentation with the extraction becoming gentler as the wine became dry and followed with a quiet extended maceration to help modify the richness and mouthfeel of the wine. The wine was lightly pressed into small French oak barrels where it rested for 10 months.