Pinot Noir (2013)

About this wine

This wine is 100 percent Pinot Noir from the Sta. Rita Hills appellation, an area shaped by cool, ocean driven coastal conditions that give the wines bright acidity and concentrated red fruit. On the nose you will find ripe red cherry, strawberry and a hint of floral lift, with subtle earthy and savory notes that appear with air. The palate shows a clear red fruit core of cranberry and raspberry, supported by lively acidity and a silky texture that keeps the wine feeling fresh. Tannins are fine and restrained, and there is a modest influence of French oak which adds a touch of vanilla and spice without overpowering the fruit. The bottle reflects Conway Family Wines production style for their Pinot Noir offerings from this region, including careful sorting, skin contact before fermentation, and barrel aging in French oak for several months.

About the grape

Pinot Noir traces its origins to Burgundy in France and is prized for thin skins and sensitivity to site, so growers in Sta. Rita Hills plant it on well drained, marine sediment and diatomaceous soils and manage low vigor sites to keep yields low. The Sta. Rita Hills has a cool maritime climate with a long growing season that emphasizes gentle ripening, and pioneers like Sanford planted the first modern vineyards there in 1974 making the AVA a natural fit for Pinot Noir. In Conway Family Wines bottlings sourced from Sta. Rita Hills the variety is handled carefully, fermented on the skins and aged in French oak to preserve site expression, with vineyard practices in the region typically using cane pruning and vertical shoot positioning to control canopy and fruit exposure. Growers in the appellation commonly plant Dijon and heritage clones such as 115, 667 and 777 on rootstocks suited to the sandy loam soils to achieve balanced yields and bright acidity in the finished wines.

Quick facts

• 🏅 Conway reserves the Conway name for a handful of exceptional barrels, a family project that began with the Conway label in 2009.
• 🌊 The Conway label sources Pinot Noir from Sta. Rita Hills because the family believes the coastal Santa Barbara vineyards make wines with a distinct oceanic personality.
• 🎨 Label artwork for Conway wines is created by John Conway, and the designs are meant to evoke the ocean and coastal California lifestyle.
• 🔬 Conway produces this Pinot Noir in very small lots, the winery focuses on limited production runs to showcase site specific character.
• 🌫️ Sta. Rita Hills is the coolest and westernmost part of the Santa Ynez Valley, so Conway Pinot Noir often shows bright acidity and maritime freshness that set it apart from inland California Pinots.

Palate profile

Producer

Conway Family Wines, established in 2007 by siblings Tom, Gillian, and John Conway, is a family-owned winery located in Santa Barbara, California. The winery produces two labels: Deep Sea, which sources grapes from coastal vineyards to reflect the maritime influence of the Pacific Ocean, and Conway, which reserves the best barrels and vineyard sources for wines that display exceptional character and complexity. The family shares a deep passion for the arts, wilderness, and the ocean, with all members being certified open water scuba divers. Their Deep Sea Tasting Room, situated on Stearns Wharf overlooking the Pacific Ocean, combines their love for wine and the sea, offering visitors a unique tasting experience.