Dominion Tantara Pinot Noir Cuvee Rita Santa Rita Hills 2017

If you know anything about Santa Barbara County wines, you know that the Santa Rita Hills is, perhaps, its top appellation. Located on California’s Central Coast, in a transverse mountain range (one that goes east-west instead of north-south), the cool climate keeps the acid forever singing and the coastal fog moderates the region’s heat. An ideal place to grow grapes, don’t ya think? All that for under $20 and over 50% off. You can’t beat this with a stick. Trust us, we’ve tried.

You rarely see these at retail – such coveted small-production wines that restaurants usually snatch up as soon as they’re released! We’ve been rushing to get first dibs on these for a few years now, and long-time Invino loyalists can attest to what tremendous quality for value Dominion Tantara represents. This Cuvee Rita – with only 136 cases made…TOTAL – is what we call a Most Wanted Wine, and for good reason!

Santa Rita Hills is a stellar spot unto itself, but to make things even better (and tastier) this pinot sources from three of the best vineyard sites in all of the SRH: Bentrock, La Encantada, and Zotovich. These storied sites are known for producing exceptional fruit, which makes wines that often cost three times or more than what we’re selling this for! With fruit this good, you should know that the grapes are hand-harvested, and after sorting and de-stemming, they are given manual punchdowns. Screw the machines, it’s always about preserving the integrity of the fruit! Then they’re aged for 16 months in 33% new French oak and left unfined and unfiltered – resulting in an elegant, and utterly classic expression of the best of Santa Rita Hills.

We bet you’re wondering what this tastes like. Well, as you might imagine, it tastes grand. Like, in the $100-range grand, not like it’s in the under $20-range. Expect ripe fruit notes that are never overly sweet, packed with black plums, crushed raspberries, sour cranberry, and a meld of roasted herbs. A soft backend of smoked meats, earthy mushrooms, and forest floor finish this off, making for a complex and savory, yet delightfully approachable, fresh, and bright Cali-pinot to absolutely write home about. And, honestly, for $18.95…it’d be a mistake not to load up on this one for now and for later!