Pinot Noir Ten
2020
All of Sea Smoke’s grapes come from a rugged, foggy (or “sea smoky”) vineyard in the Santa Rita Hills region of Santa Barbara County. From these grapes, the Sea Smoke team creates two beautiful Pinot Noirs: Southing and Ten as well as Chardonnay and a 100% Pinot Noir méthode champenoise sparkling wine called Sea Spray. The Sea Smoke vineyard is planted with 10 different clones of Pinot Noir as well as Chardonnay spread across 39 hectares, creating many combinations of soil, clone and...
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Ten is named for the ten Pinot Noir clones found on our estate vineyard. Our most masculine wine, it is brooding and intense, with firm, mature tannins and a long, velvety finish. Ten is not for the faint-of-heart and has been known, on occasion, to convert even the most fanatic Cabernet lover.
Hand-harvested, clusters were sorted in the vineyard and then gently destemmed following an evening in our cold room. All ‘jack stems’ were removed on the sorting table. Musts were cold soaked in open-top fermenters for five days, and then inoculated with cultured yeasts to begin slow fermentation. Each tank was manually punched down two times per day, with a total maceration time of sixteen to twenty-eight days. Upon completion of primary fermentation and maceration, all free run wine was transferred to tank for settling, and then pressed at extremely low pressure (0.08 bars) to avoid extracting bitterness. After settling overnight both free-run and press wines were racked to barrels. Ten was bottled with no fining and no filtration.
A brooding and intense wine. The aromas begin with notes of black tea, blackberry and orange rind, then a myriad of savory spices, and a hint of jasmine. Firm, mature tannins—evidence of Ten’s ageability—are followed by a long, velvety finish.
Aromas of dark strawberries, ripe strawberries, crushed stone, iron and dried tile dust. Turns to light chocolate. Full-bodied and layered with lots of ripe strawberries, but it remains juicy and savory. Flavorful finish. Plenty of fruit but energetic and racy.
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Aromas of violet and burnt sandlewood lend a seductive, perfumed tone to this richly concentrated Pinot. Compared to the producer's fresh-fruited Southing, the Ten embraces Pinot's stateliness, muscularity and grip. A richly extracted yet fine, chiseled wine anchored by bristling streaks of acidity and a tonic mineral undertow. Hints of singed vanilla and char point to 16 months maturation in French oak (68% new) but it's a profoundly elegant, seamlessly balanced wine with a finish marked by fine, firm tannins. Ready now but will continue to improve for another decade and hold further still.
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