Wine Time

by Trevor Burton photography by Trevor Burton

Size matters. Even if it defies common sense and reality. As demonstration, let me take you through the experience of a small American Viticultural Area (AVA) in the Santa Barbara region of California—an AVA which produces spectacular Pinot Noir wines.

The AVA, Santa Rita Hills, is part of the larger Santa Ynez AVA. It got its start in an unusual way. The region’s pioneer was Richard Sanford. Sanford dreamed of discovering a West Coast climate zone similar to that of the Burgundy region of France and producing wine that would rival the best in the world. His interest in the geography of wine compelled him to research 100 years of weather reports from Burgundy. Then he drove through the Santa Ynez Valley with a thermometer outside of his car window. Not very scientific, but it did okay. “I was interested in finding a place that was cool enough for Pinot Noir,” explained Sanford.

Santa Rita Hills is bordered by an East-West mountain range, an unusual orientation. That mountain range is what’s key. The mountains direct the fog from the Pacific Ocean, directly into the valley. This fog and ocean breezes help moderate summer heat. They lengthen the growing season by allowing grapes to ripen slowly and without developing diseases.

And it’s not just the climate. There’s something fishy about the soil. Santa Rita Hills’ soil goes back in time. It’s made up from the remains of ancient sea creatures which accumulated and dissolved on the, then, ocean floor. There is limestone and other stuff. The soil is low-vigor, which benefits wine quality. Soils, like this store water from winter rains and dole it out as needed during the growing season. Extensive irrigation is unnecessary.

Just what Pinot Noir grapes dream about. Sanford and several others began lobbying for the designation of Santa Rita Hills as an AVA. They succeeded. The region was granted AVA status in 2001, the appellation went under the moniker “Santa Rita Hills.” Then wine politics intervened.

Size matters. A powerful Chilean winery, Viña Santa Rita, contended that the new AVA’s name was diluting its international trademark. It used its clout to remove the “Santa Rita” name from the AVA title. A common sense approach would be to include “Santa Barbara County” on a label. And the reality is that Santa Rita in California preceded the establishment of Viña Santa Rita. No matter, common sense and reality didn’t stand a chance.

The solution was to change the name of Santa Rita Hills to the unwieldy “Sta. Rita Hills.” The governing body for American AVAs agreed with the proposed change and, as of 2006, Sta. Rita Hills became the official name of this appellation. This was good and bad. The bad part was the inconvenience to winegrowers in Santa Rita. The good part was that the intervention showed the importance of American AVAs in the new global world of wine.

Sta. Rita Hills produces some of the world’s most exquisite Pinot Noirs. It was one of the “stars” in the cult movie, Sideways. I’m definitely in its corner. I’m a great fan of quality Pinot Noirs. And I’m a great fan of underdogs. I’ll be sipping on a lot of Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noirs from now on.